Life Lessons
by QuantamTheory
Summary: COMPLETE. Romance, enduring friendships, and experiments gone wrong, with a slightly older, post-Kishin cast. Follows the manga, but Lord Death and the Black Blood are still around. KidxMaka pairing, with lots of love for Soul, Liz, Patty and the rest of the cast. NO Evil/Mean Soul. Also on Archive of Our Own under same title and user name.
1. The End of the Day

**A/N:** First and foremost, I want to give my undying gratitude to every reader. Thank you so much.

Now that it's finished, I've re-edited the entire story. Added and subtracted some things, but no major plot points have been altered. Almost all of the changes were made for for better flow, so if you've already read it there's no need to do it again unless you really, really want to;)

Although I eventually started caring about the plot, this started out as a goofy experiment with tropes. I tried to squeeze in as many SE and KiMa tropes as I could. There's _some_ AU because I kept the Black Blood and Lord Death is still alive. Other than that, this follows manga canon and takes place about 6 months after the defeat of Asura.

In the original version of this story, I listed the tropes at the beginning of each chapter. That got old real fast for readers who don't like to wade through piles of author's notes at the beginning of every chapter, so I've included at the end for anybody who wants to see them.

Hope you have as much fun with this as I did, and thanks for reading!

**The End of the Day**

The final bell rang and two minutes later the front doors of the DWMA slammed open. A blue-haired ninja exploded out of the building and backflipped across the courtyard.

"Yahoo! The great Black Star is free. Now the entire town can bask in my awesomeness!"

"I'm sure they can't wait." Liz said, rolling her eyes as the rest of Spartoi filed out of the building. Patty giggled and clapped for Black Star, who did a final flip and landed upside down in a handstand.

"Way to go, Patty! You recognize a star when you see one!" he yelled, thrilled that someone other than Tsubaki appreciated his performance.

"Or she recognizes circus performers. Because that's what you look like. That or a little kid on a sugar high. So uncool." Soul sighed at his best friend.

"Sugar! Yeah! The great Black Star needs sugar! Have to keep my energy up. Let's get ice cream." Black Star was walking on his hands now, his spiky hair brushing the ground.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea..." Tsubaki said apprehensively, twisting the hem of her scarf as she imagined her partner with any more energy to expend.

"I'm game. As long as you don't walk all the way to Dӧd's on your hands like an ass." Harvar told him.

"Dude, I don't think anybody would even notice he was upside down. It can be really hard to tell his ass from his face, sometimes." Kilik joked.

"Arne's so easy-going he wouldn't care if Black Star did go in there on his hands." Kim said of the gentle Swedish man who owned Dӧd's Dairy, the ice cream parlor frequented by the students of the DWMA. Ox put his arm around his girlfriend's waist and told her she was sweeter than the caramel sundae he was going to buy her. Kilik and Jackie clutched their stomachs and made gagging noises.

"He has to be easy-going or he'd go nuts from dealing with all the crazy shit that goes on in there after school." Liz said, "But ice cream does sound good; it's hot as hell out here." She examined a lock of her hair, frowning as if she could actually see moisture leeching out of it into the dry air.

"Nevada's hot. You should be used to it by now." Kid told her, "And you're carrying your backpack over one shoulder. It's bad for your spine as well as your symmetry."

"Shut up." Liz glared at him but hitched her backpack up over both shoulders. Kid immediately started rooting around in it and nearly knocked her over.

"Watch it! What are you looking for? You could at least ask before you go rummaging through my stuff." she complained.

"I'm looking for my phone."

Liz huffed impatiently. "It's in the front. In the middle pocket where is _always_ is when you ask me to carry it."

"Ugh. There's lip gloss on it." Kid whipped out a handkerchief and scrubbed at the sticky residue.

"Well carry your own crap if you're so worried about it." Liz didn't really mind holding his things, but she never missed an opportunity to rag on him about it. It was one of the few perks of being the big sister and she found it wholly enjoyable.

"Are we going for ice cream too?" Patty demanded in a voice that promised violence if there were treats to be had and she didn't get one.

"You guys go ahead. I have to give Dad a call back; he left a message for me." Kid answered. Patty made a sad face at him.

"Awww. Can't you even make time for ice cream? Poor Kiddo." she squeezed Kid's arm and patted his back in sympathy, "Want me to bring some back for you?"

Kid shuddered at the thought of her dripping a melting ice cream cone through the house in search of him.

"Tell you what, Patty," he suggested, hugging her shoulders, "Get an extra scoop and eat it for me, okay?"

"Okey Dokey!" Patty sang, immediately cured of her sympathetic angst. She let go of Kid, took a flying leap and landed on Soul's back. "Piggyback ride!" she demanded. Soul nearly dropped her on the hot brick pavers and flailed around trying to regain his balance. He was about to shrug her off when Liz turned a hundred-watt smile on him.

"That's so nice of you, Soul." she said. He suddenly felt incredibly invested in giving Patty a piggyback ride and hitched her up securely.

"You can have the next one." He replied with a lazy grin while Patty hugged his neck and laughed. She waved at Kid, who was walking away with his iPhone pressed to his ear, already in deep conversation with his father. Liz watched him with a pleased expression.

"He's doing really well with the single phone. Even if I do have to carry it most of the time." she told Soul. Patty had thought it unfair that Kid had two iPhones while she only had one. A huge argument had ensued and Lord Death had taken away everyone's phone until Kid's split lip healed, Patty's bruises faded and Liz had agreed to stop knocking their heads together _quite_ so hard. Then, in a rare burst of parental clarity, he'd instituted the One Per Person Technology Rule.

"Has anybody seen Maka?" Tsubaki asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked back toward the school, "I don't want to leave her behind."

"She's doing some kind of extra lessons with Miss Marie. Because you can never spend too much time at school if you're Maka." Soul replied, adjusting Patty's weight. "You gotta get down, my back is breaking. And I look like an idiot."

"That's because you _are_ an idiot." Black Star, upright again, noogied Soul's head with his knuckles. Soul slapped him off, elbowing Ox in the process, and a good-natured scuffle broke out among the boys. Patty jumped into the fray with joyous abandon and a passerby muttered that if this was the DWMA's Elite Squad the world was bloody well doomed. Someone else told Liz she should "do something" with "those hoodlums".

Sometimes life made Liz feel very put upon. And kind of old. "And we're taking them to get sugared up why?" she asked Tsubaki.


	2. Reaper Requirements

**A/N:** You came back for Chapter 2, and I appreciate it so much! Thank you!

**Reaper Requirements**

* * *

"I'm not going to do it!" Kid insisted, scowling furiously at his father.

"You know, you're adorable when you make that frowny face, but you're still going to do it." Lord Death said with an infuriating calmness. He toyed with his mask, idly spinning it on the top of his desk.

"I'm _not_!" Kid stomped his foot and immediately regretted it. It made him look like a toddler having a temper tantrum just when he needed to seem rational and mature. Besides, the thick Oriental carpet in his father's study rendered the gesture completely silent and ridiculous-looking. Especially for a sixteen year old boy who was just a smidge over six feet tall.

"Thought you'd outgrown the stomping thing. I haven't seen you do it in years." Lord Death said in a highly amused voice. Kid took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

"Dad," he said, trying to sound firm and reasonable, "How could you ask me to do something like this to Liz and Patty?"

"The stomping was so cute when you were little. You had the chubbiest little knees..."

Kid stared at his father in amazed exasperation. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Kiddo, I never said you had to give up your weapons. You think I'd do that to family? I said you need to learn to use a scythe. Requirement of the job, son. A scythe is the traditional weapon of the Grim Reaper and everyone is going to expect you to be able to handle one, at least on certain occasions."

"I never saw _Maman _with one." Kid said defiantly. Bringing his mother into the conversation was sure to get under his dad's skin.

"Quit trying to get my goat, Kiddo. And your mother handled a scythe beautifully. She just preferred other weapons. She was never much for close combat; said it was hell on her nails." Death smiled sadly at the remembrance. He drummed his fingers on his leather blotter and looked wearily up at his son. The boy was so rigid that sometimes his father despaired of him ever being ready to take over as Lord Death. He'd matured a lot over the last few years, but he had a stubborn streak a mile wide.

Kid felt guilt wash over him when he saw the look on his father's face. It really had been low to bring his mother into an argument, especially one he wasn't going to win anyway. And he didn't want to think about his mother's sharp little throwing knives.

"Fine." Kid flopped down into a wingback chair in front of the fire. "When do we start?"

"Atta boy!" Lord Death was back to his usual smiling self, "Stein would be my first choice, but I don't see the two of you playing nice together. I can have Spirit work with yo-"

"No way, Dad. Spirit is the worst teacher ever. _Ever_. He'd hold training sessions at the bar. The only thing I'd learn from him is how to score with cheap floozies!" Kid gripped the padded arms of his chair so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Well, maybe we could get him to teach you how to score with expensive call girls instead." his father suggested with a huge, taunting grin on his handsome face.

"Dad!" Now Kid had a red face to go along with the white knuckles, "How could you think that I would...that I want to..."

"Keep your hair on, Kiddo, I was just messing with you. How about if you work with Soul instead? After all, he'll be your personal Death Scythe someday."

Kid thought it over for a moment and then shook his head. "I know he will, but..." he trailed off and averted his eyes.

"But what?" Lord Death asked gently, knowing that his son had something to tell him that was no laughing matter to the boy. Kid kept his eyes on the floor.

" I don't want the rest of the guys making fun of me while I'm trying to learn something I don't want to do anyway. If I could at least learn how to handle a scythe properly it wouldn't be so bad. Then I could just work on resonating with Soul and I'm actually at an advantage there." Kid knew that wanting to look cool in front of his friends was a terribly human reaction, but there it was in all of its embarrassing reality.

Lord Death looked up at the ceiling for a moment, processing the information. Kid was all too frail and human sometimes, a legacy from the beautiful French seamstress who had given birth to him. She'd given up her human life and joined a Reaper family in order to be with the man she loved. His Sophie. It had been perfect...until it all went so horribly wrong.

He shook himself out of his reverie and looked tenderly at his son. The boy needed someone sympathetic to work with, someone who could see how his sensitive soul worked. Someone like...like...

"What about Maka?" Lord Death exclaimed.


	3. Let's Get This Started

**A/N:** Chapter three and you're still here! Thanks, you're just lovely!

* * *

**Let's Get This Started**

"I very much appreciate you helping me with this" Kid said, trying to hide his unease behind a mask of formality. He had a hard time being alone with Maka, always afraid that he was going to slip up and let her know that she was his idea of utter perfection when he knew she didn't feel _that _way about him. He opened the door and politely gestured for her to enter ahead of him. Kid had decided that The Gallows' ballroom would afford them more privacy than the school gym or practice ground, and it was more than big enough.

"No problem, Kid. I'm happy to help." Maka said. The sun shining through the tall, arched windows glinted off her blonde hair, which she wore in a low knot at the back of her neck. She'd given up her pigtails when she turned sixteen and Kid had to admit that he missed them. She wore a pink t-shirt over yellow track pants and looked entirely unthreatening in spite of the big metal scythe she held. Maka took excellent advantage of this in battle; being underestimated by an enemy often gave her the upper hand.

"I don't blame you for wanting to get the basics under your belt before you have to work with Soul. He and Black Star like teasing people a little too much sometimes. So don't worry; this is just between you and me. Well, should we get started?" she asked. Her running shoes squeaked on the polished wooden floor as she spun and gave the scythe a little twirl.

"Of course," Kid still sounded stiff and uncomfortable, "Where do we begin?"

"Just some basic drills, for starters. My old practice scythe is a little short for you, but you'll be able to get the general idea." Maka handed Kid the weapon and he almost dropped it, unprepared for its disgustingly asymmetrical weight.

"This thing weighs a ton!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, it does. When my dad first gave it to me I could barely lift it. But that's the whole point. I got used to working with the heavy one so I can really move when I'm resonating with Soul and he feels so light."

Kid nodded, "Makes sense. I'm glad I don't have to train that way - Liz would lose her mind if I had to work out with something heavy just to make her feel lighter. She'd think I was calling her fat."

Maka giggled and positioned his hands on the scythe's long handle, trying to ignore his scent. Kid always smelled delicious; the vaguest hint of cologne mixed with the scent of soap, clean laundry and whatever he used to keep his fine black hair in place. It was a heady combination and she had to focus hard to ignore it.

"Okay," she said, pulling Kid's elbows up, "Basic stance. Right hand closer to the blade for control, left hand further down the shaft for stability. Elbows away from your body and bent but not locked. Keep your knees soft. Turn and face the mirror so you can see what it's supposed to look like."

"I'm supposed to look like an idiot?" Kid asked ruefully. Maka's reflection in one of the gilt-framed mirrors clucked its tongue at him.

"Well, you're not here to look pretty. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, I'm holding it. Now what?" Kid asked, trying to relax a little in spite of the thing's horrible lack of symmetry. He'd learned to handle his OCD better over the years, but stress always made it flare up.

"Now you learn how to do it yourself." Maka replied. "When Soul transforms he sort of leaps to you, so you have to be able to catch him and fall into a basic stance right away." she took the practice scythe from him and held it lengthwise in front of her, "So I'm going to throw this at you and your job is to catch it and drop into Basic."

"Well that's easier said than done." Kid said doubtfully. "What if I miss? Sounds like an excellent way to cut my own head off."

"Nah. The edge is blunted on this thing. You'll probably get bashed a few times, and it hurts like hell, but it won't slice anything off. When you're resonating with Soul he'll fall into your hands almost automatically after a while." Maka said nonchalantly. "We'll start with a horizontal toss. It'll be easiest until you learn your stances, and then we'll work up to verticals." she tossed the scythe to Kid, who caught it and brought it up the way she'd shown him. Maka corrected his posture and they repeated the process, throwing the scythe back and forth until he could catch it and take his stance without adjusting.

"You're really good at this!" Maka told him cheerfully, when their practice ended, "Especially since the thing is totally asymmetrical and you must hate it."

"Yeah, I'm trying not to think about that." Kid said. He'd been desperately trying not to freak out about the vile, unbalanced weapon until she left, but now that it wasn't actively flying at his head it was harder to maintain his composure. He scratched nervously at the hair over his forehead, a clear sign to those who knew him that a panic attack was on the rise.

"Well, let's just put it away where you can't see it for a while." Maka reached for the scythe, brushing her hand against Kid's.

"Can I try something?" she asked hesitantly.

"Go ahead." Kid shrugged, scratching away and really not paying a whole lot of attention to her. Maka's soul expanded and brushed his with a feathery Grigori wavelength. Kid accepted the resonance and immediately felt his panic drop down to a low simmer. The scratching stopped and he heaved a relieved sigh.

"It's a healing technique I've been working on with Miss Marie." Maka said sheepishly, "I've been wanting to see if it would work on you, but I just never had the nerve to ask if I could before."

"I wish you had. You're amazing!" Kid said, thrilled.

"Well...um...so are you." Maka turned away quickly and stashed the scythe in the storage closet to mask her sudden awkwardness.


	4. Mixed Signals

**A/N:** Chapter four for you fabulous readers! You're so kind :) In this chapter, I've invented a cook and a housekeeper. In the manga, Kid mentions his father's secretary and that she'll make the arrangements for his party, so obviously the family has staff. If they live in a big-arsed mansion it makes sense that they'd have people to run the house, IMO.

**Mixed Signals**

"I feel terrible for asking you to do this every day. I really do appreciate it." Kid apologized as he let Maka in the back door. It opened into a spotless mudroom lined with ebony cabinets and Maka immediately unbuckled her boots to avoid getting the black and white tiled floor dirty.

"You don't have to thank me every single day; it's no problem." she said gruffly, averting her eyes. She loved her afternoons with him and it made her feel unaccountably grumpy that he didn't seem to feel the same. Quite the opposite, in fact. He got more formal and distant every day.

"Here, let me take those for you." Kid made an awkward mess of trying to take her bag and her shoes without touching her hands. Maka had noticed that he'd started to flinch every time they touched during practice, too. He'd completely shut his soul away from hers as well. He hadn't even let her try her Grigori healing lessons on him again, no matter how tense he got.

Liz and Patty had their own closets in the mudroom, but Patty loved to dig through Kid's and even Liz wasn't above grabbing one of his coats now and again. Something pretty dire would have to happen for either one of them to open the closet where the cleaning supplies were kept, however. Kid always hid Maka's boots and schoolbag in it, so his sisters wouldn't find them and ask awkward questions.

"I told Soul I was working on a project for Lord Death, but I don't think he's going to be buying that one for much longer. Good thing we're almost done." Maka couldn't keep the sharp undertone out of her voice. "At least is isn't a lie. After all, I'm only doing this for your dad, right?". She waited for Kid to say something to the contrary, but he just stiffened his shoulders and walked out of the room. He stopped to peer around the kitchen door, where the cook and the housekeeper were having a snit over the evening's menu. Satisfied that they weren't going to be noticed, Kid hurried Maka past the door and up the back stairs. _He can't wait to get rid of me_, Maka thought bitterly.

"Are Liz and Patty on their way home?" she asked, wondering if they were going to have to sneak to the ballroom in order to avoid being found out by his sisters or the maids. They'd had to do it several times, and it had been funny at first. Now it just felt like he didn't want to be seen with her. Like she was a cheap slut he had to sneak around with because she wasn't good enough for him.

"They went to get coffee with the rest of the team."

Maka seemed annoyed, and Kid carefully hid his wavelength from her unusually strong soul perception. It was good for her to be angry with him, just like it was important for him to keep his feelings hidden away. She lived with, and was devoted to, her partner and Kid couldn't imagine attempting to come between the two of them. He had to get over his long-standing crush on her and be content to stare at her across rooms, like he had since the day he'd met her. Liz and Black Star had both teased him about this habit, but Kid deflected them by rambling on about Maka's perfect symmetry, trying to make it sound like that was the only thing about her that interested him. Liz had called him hopeless and Black Star had invented the term "pansy-assed symmetry creeper" on the spot.

"Mmmm...that sounds good." Maka hummed. She immediately realized that Kid might think she'd rather be at the coffee shop instead of giving him a lesson and backpedaled furiously. "I mean, I'm not sorry I'm here or anything. I don't wish I was with them instead of helping you." She blushed so hard she felt her ears get hot.

Kid looked at her for a moment and then gave her a small smile, "Tell you what. I owe you a cup next time we go."

Maka's face was still red, but she laughed. "You're gonna pay for scythe lessons in lattes? Jackpot!"

Kid felt his breath hitch a little. Maka Albarn was lovely when she smiled. She was cute when she frowned in concentration over a schoolbook and terrifyingly beautiful in battle. But when she laughed she was _gorgeous_ and Kid immediately forgot his resolution to keep his distance from her.

"We could go out and get some later." he blurted.

"If everybody's getting coffee now, they won't want to go again tonight. Except Black Star, and he's hyper enough." Maka said regretfully.

"Well, why can't we go ourselves when we're done here? Just the two of us?" Kid sounded confident, but he was quaking inside. Maka shot him a glance laced with confusion.

"Sure." she shrugged, "I'd like that." She kind of wanted to smack him upside the head for giving off such mixed signals, but she'd gotten over the hitting-people thing. Mostly.


	5. Peeking at the Past

**A/N:** This chapter feels like a giant lead balloon to me. Couldn't seem to get it off properly, so I apologize in advance for it being so clunky! This is the one chapter that wasn't fun to write (so far!)

**Peeking at the Past**

"Would you like to walk to the coffee shop or would you prefer to ride?" Kid asked as they slipped out the kitchen door after practice.

"On Beelzebub? I, uh..." Maka trailed off. It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen Kid with a passenger. He and Patty had trick riding down to a science, and when she was in the right mood, Liz occasionally took a turn. Usually with a firm promise of tearing Kid to bits if he so much as swerved suddenly. When they ate lunch outside, some of the other girls at school would tease until he took them for a swoop across the grounds. Maka had never asked, and he'd never offered, so she'd had to watch with a weighted heart as Kim Diehl or some other girl giggled into his ear and clung to him just a little too tightly.

Kid didn't know why he'd asked her. He'd carefully avoided such an invitation before. Just the thought of Maka being so intimately close to him made his throat go a little bit dry. Until they'd started training together, the two of them were almost never alone. Now that they were, he just couldn't resist the urge to see what it would feel like to have her arms around him without a stance correction motivating it.

"If you don't like the idea, it's perfectly fine. I enjoy walking, and flying isn't for everyone." he told her, feeling stammery and stupid.

He thought she was _afraid_? Maka couldn't stand for that.

"No, I'd like to try it." Surely she could manage to touch him for a few minutes without dying of embarrassment, molesting him, or a combination of the two.

Kid nodded, "All right, then." he summoned the skateboard and hopped on. He held it low and steady as he offered her a hand to help her up.

"It'll keep your feet stuck down pretty firmly, but you'll have to balance your upper body or we'll flip over." He instructed her.

"I don't think I'm ready for any Patty-caliber riding yet." Maka deliberately kept her voice light, trying to sound nonchalant as she slid her arms beneath his and clasped her hands over his chest. She was used to balancing on the back of Soul's bike, and the skateboard wasn't much different. Except this was Kid she was riding with. If he could feel her heart pounding against his back, she hoped he'd put it down to excitement and not her burning desire to kiss the back of his neck.

Kid sailed into the air, taking a few sharp turns so that she'd hold on to him a little tighter.

"Are you alright back there?" he called.

"Yeah!"

Kid could feel her lips moving against his spine; could feel her voice vibrate through him. He sped up and felt her press her face against him and her hands slid further around his chest.

"I love this!" Maka yelled, turning her face up into the wind for a moment.

"Well, hang on tight, then!" Kid replied, grinning joyfully as she burrowed her face against his back again. Maka heard the change in his tone and felt a little surge of glee. He was with her and he was having fun. He sounded boyish and happy in a way she'd never heard him sound on solid ground.

All too soon they reached the Deathbucks closest to The Gallows and Kid made a careful, regretful landing outside. Maka hopped off and watched with interest while he put the skateboard away. When she looked up, he was staring at her with the oddest look on his face.

"That was fun." she said cheerily, trying to keep herself from leaning over and hugging him.

"Yes, it was." Kid agreed, still staring. A long, awkward silence followed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Maka finally asked. Kid knew that if he opened his mouth he was going to tell her how pretty she looked, so he kept his lips resolutely buttoned.

"It's my hair isn't it?" she sighed and pulled her ponytail out. The carefree happiness Kid had exhibited while they were up in the air apparently _didn't_ have anything to do with her since he'd shut down the minute they hit solid ground.

"Better?" she asked as she tidied herself up. Without waiting for an answer she led the way inside, determined to figure out his odd behavior.

"You were different up there." she told him as they picked up their lattes and found a table at the back of the cafe.

"Different how?" Kid asked past the lump that suddenly popped up in his throat. Did she suspect his feelings for her? _Oh crap_...

"Umm...happier, I guess. We don't see you like that very often. It made me think about how much you hide from us."

Kid felt almost relieved that she was only commenting on his general social behavior, even though she apparently thought he was a boring, uptight bastard most of the time.

"I suppose it's one of the few places I can just be myself." he said slowly, "Most of the time I'm never able to forget that I'm my father's son. It's not easy sometimes."

"Is that why you're always so careful with yourself?" she asked bluntly. She was trying to put her thoughts into words without sounding rude, but it was tricky territory. Kid never talked about himself.

"How am I careful?" he tried to look casual. He really did want to know, but her questions were making him nervous.

"You're always so polite," Maka answered.

"And that's a bad thing?"

Maka laughed at the confused look Kid gave her.

"No! But You use it to keep a certain distance. You never get too familiar. Is that you're not allowed to?"

"I suppose that's a part of it. And, honestly, until I met Liz and Patty I wasn't around other people my age much. Dad is really just humoring me by letting me go to the Academy."

Maka looked scandalized. "Didn't you go to school before?"

"I was...homeschooled, I suppose you'd call it." Kid answered slowly.

Maka could tell that he really wasn't comfortable, but she'd never heard him talk about his past before and she wanted to know what his life had been before she knew him. She wanted some special little knowledge about him, some fact she could hug to herself and know that in some small way she had a bit of him that didn't belong to everyone else he knew. And he was on the verge of telling her something important, she could tell. She'd have to tread very carefully.

"By your dad?"

Kid shifted in his chair and fastened his gaze on the top of his cup.

"Some of the time. And I had tutors for some standard subjects. The rest was all with...with my mother."

"Your mother?" Maka sounded completely shocked. Like she'd never considered the fact that he might have a mother.

"Yes. And before you ask, she was human, she was beautiful, she's not around anymore and, yes, I miss her." Kid knew he sounded snippy. He had no idea why he'd mentioned her since he absolutely hated the pitying looks that came his way when Sophie was mentioned in front of anyone who'd known her.

"I miss my mom at lot, too." Maka offered, trying to talk over his sudden prickliness by quickly changing the subject.

"Does it still bother you?" Kid felt it was safe for him to look at her again.

"Yeah. And it's hard not knowing exactly where she is and what she's doing. That's kind of weird." Maka ran her finger around the rim of her cup, "And it upsets me that I'm not allowed to know what's so important that it took my mother away from me. I know part of it was the divorce, but that's not the whole reason."

"I think you've learned to live with it, though," Kid mused, "You don't seem as angry about it."

"I have," Maka said, "But not completely. I know I was pissed off at the world for a while, and that I used all that anger to keep everyone from getting too close. I finally realized that I was just afraid of letting anyone get inside me ever again, even Soul. I think figuring out that we were never going to be a real team unless I opened up to him helped me get past that."

She wanted to ask him how he coped with missing his mother, but didn't want to push the boundary he'd obviously set up. She wanted to take his hand and tell him it was okay to talk to her, that she cared. Instead, she pulled out her phone and pretended to be shocked at the time.

"Shall I take you home?" Kid asked, pulling her chair out for her.

"Sure. Are we going to take Beelzebub?" she asked, rather hopefully.

After all the confessions they'd made and the emotion at the surface between them, Kid didn't think he could handle more physical contact with her. Not unless he wanted to make a complete fool out of himself and possibly kill off their friendship, thereby screwing up the effectiveness of their resonance team. Then again, it would be a relief to have it all out in the open, wouldn't it? Should he confess his feelings on the chance that she might just agree to go out with him sometime? All he knew was that if she climbed on that skateboard and put her arms around him, he was going to tell her everything.

"No. It's a nice afternoon. Let's just walk." He decided.


	6. I-really-more-than-like-you

**A/N:** Thanks for waiting for this thing to really get going! (i.e. kissy faces ahead!) Hugs for reading so far :)

**I really-more-than-like-you**

Liz and Patty were at home, and Maka was tired of sneaking through the back halls of The Gallows to avoid them and the staff. It was a lovely afternoon so she told Kid to meet her in the clearing behind the woods near the school. It was quiet and secluded, bordered by a low stone wall that Maka liked to sit on, swinging her feet over the sheer drop to the city below. It was one of her favorite places. And the drop off might come in handy; if Kid kept getting on her nerves she could just pitch him over the edge.

His attitude was driving Maka crazy. They trained almost every afternoon and he always walked her home afterwards. On the way , they usually stopped for coffee and sat with their hands warming around their steaming cups while they talked about books, homework and the finer points of soul collection theory. He'd never talked to her about himself again, shutting her down completely when she tried to steer the conversation toward anything personal. Once or twice he'd asked her to stop at the public library with him when he easily could have used the one in his own house, the school or proved a point by looking up the information he needed on his phone. And then he'd spoil everything by getting all weird and standoffish the minute he realized that they were having fun. He could be unresponsive and downright unmanageable during training or he'd be totally into it; Maka never knew what she was going to get from minute to minute.

He was in one of his bitchy moods right now, staring at her with his shoulders hunched so tightly that he couldn't have swung the practice scythe right if he'd wanted to. Which he most assuredly did not. She didn't know if it was the scythe or if it was her that made him get so stiff and pissy, but she'd had about enough.

"Here, like this." Maka moved behind Kid. She put her hands on his shoulders and squared them before sliding them down his arms to his wrists. His muscles were firm under his smooth cotton shirt and she took the opportunity to sniff the back of his neck. He might be an asshole, but he smelled good and felt better, and she figured she deserved any little perk this miserable job could offer. Kid shuddered a little and tried to ignore her soft breath against his skin.

"Pull back," Maka instructed, moving Kid's arms into position, "And when you swing, lead with your outside arm. Keep it straight, and push the strike through with the other one. The real work comes from your hips, though. Don't try to get your power from your arms. You want to twist and then swing from the hips and let your shoulders follow." Her hands ran along his shoulders and down the length of his arms. Kid arched his back away from her and Maka huffed and rolled her eyes, "I don't know what that was. You're supposed to _swing_, not act like you're being electrocuted."

She grabbed his hips and turned them to her liking. Kid inhaled sharply and twitched out of her grasp again, terrified that she was going to feel the erection he'd been trying to fight down since she'd put her hands on his shoulders.

"Quit it!" he snapped.

"Kid, what the hell is wrong with you?" Maka demanded, throwing up her hands in frustration, "Look, I know you don't want to do this, but you don't have to take it out on me. You've been acting like you hate me one second and then you invite me to go somewhere and treat me like your best friend the next. You stare at me in class and then won't look at me during training. You hide your soul wavelength from me like I'm going to steal it, probably so I won't be able to tell how much you loathe me, and I'm sick of your shit! If you hate working with me so much, why don't you go find somebody else to help you?"

Kid threw the scythe down on the grass and whipped around to face her.

"I don't hate doing this. And I do like being with you." He yelled, eyes blazing.

"Yeah, it sure sounds like it! If you like being around me so much, then what the fuck _is_ your problem?" Maka was considering breaking the no-hitting-people rule and popping him one with the scythe. _Really _considering it.

"Okay, it is you. It's you." Kid said recklessly, "All I can think about is you. It makes me crazy when you breathe on the back of my neck, and when you smile and when you touch me." he put his hands on her shoulders and his eyes burned into hers, "When this training is over I won't get to spend time alone with you, or feel your hands on me, or have an excuse to take you out for coffee, just you and me. I quit offering to take you home on Beelzebub because I can spend more time with you if we walk, and because I can hardly stand having you up against me when I don't have the right to touch you. I've been trying to keep my distance, but I just can't."

Throwing caution to the wind, he cupped her precious face in his hands and tipped it up to his. Kissing a girl without asking wasn't the gentlemanly thing to do, but at the moment Kid really didn't care. His first kiss would be with her; at least he'd have that. Besides, he had to follow up with _something_ after spilling his guts like that, and fainting or throwing up didn't seem like very sexy alternatives.

The kiss was hesitant; fleeting and unsure. It happened so fast that Maka might have thought she'd imagined it if not for the electric tingle lighting up her entire body.

"Do you really like me? I mean..._like _like me?" she breathed, "I thought you were sick of having me around, or that you didn't want anybody to see you with me. It made me so mad I almost bashed you in the head just now." She looked into his golden eyes and felt his soul hum against hers for the first time in almost two weeks. She accepted the link and the rush of emotion that flooded into her nearly buckled her knees. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, her lips soft, chaste and quick against his. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"I really, _really_ like you. More than like you, actually." Kid whispered, his lips brushing hers. "I always have." The next kiss was a little longer, a fraction harder. He pulled her closer, hugging her like he'd always wanted to.

"I really more-than-like you, too." Maka said shyly, "Why do you think I keep up making excuses to get my hands on you?"

"You may put your hands anywhere you like from now on. No excuses necessary."

"And you can be alone with me any time you want. No excuses necessary."

"I believe that's called a date."

"Then we've been doing a lot of dating."

"How many dates are required before I can officially refer to you as my girlfriend?"

I think we've met the requirement." Maka laughed softly. They went in for another kiss and bumped their noses. A moment of awkward head turning passed before their lips met again.

"We need more practice at this." Kid grinned.

"Definitely." she agreed. "A lot more."

"What about Soul? I mean, he's not going to be...upset...or anything is he?" Kid couldn't stand the idea of not being with her, but he wouldn't be the kind of man who got between teammates, _soulmates_, like Maka and Soul. The DWMA needed their abilities, and the bottom line was that he wanted her to be happy, even if that meant not being with him. Maka's green eyes grew serious.

"If there was anything going on between Soul and I, there's no way I'd be kissing you right now. You know how I feel about cheating. Soul and I, we're like you, Liz and Patty. Even more than family, because we got to choose each other. Soul and I love each other, but we've never even come close to being _in _love. I admit that sometimes I wanted him to be just I'd know I was just as good as all the other girls, but that was just me feeling inferior. We never felt that way about each other. Not ever."

"That's absolutely perfect." Kid murmured as he found her mouth with his. They were starting to figure out how their chins and their noses fit together and the kiss that resulted made Maka's legs feel a little trembly. They let themselves go, one kiss blending into another. Kid thought he might keel over from joy. And possibly a little oxygen deprivation. If anything in the world was better than kissing the girl you _like_ liked on a warm spring evening, he didn't know what it might be. Except for her kissing back, of course.


	7. Digging a Hole

**A/N:** This doesn't do a damn thing to forward the plot, but I couldn't help writing it because it was cute. If fighting can be cute, that is. I love trying to show some of the sibling-type dynamic between Kid and the Thompson sisters.

**Digging A Hole**

Liz was watching a sappy romance in the upstairs parlor when Kid got home. Dazed by the fact that he'd been kissing Maka, that she was his _girlfriend_, he barely realized that he'd wandered into the room. He flopped down on the couch beside Liz, who glanced over at him and frowned. Kid never flopped, he seated himself. And he looked goofy. Goofier than usual.

"Where have you been?"

"Out."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "You've been _out_ a lot lately. Exactly what do you do when you're out?"

He looked over at her, not really seeing her.

"Work." he replied, leaning back against the sofa and sighing. Happily, she mistook his distraction for exhaustion and went back to her movie. Unless she had to be directly involved, she didn't want to know any more about death magic or reaping than she had to.

On the screen, the hero was going at the heroine like their lives depended on it.

"What the hell is this?" Kid exclaimed, suddenly realizing what he was seeing. And wondering when he might be able to do it to Maka. He thought about having her against him, letting him do _that_, and felt blood rush into his face. And other places.

"That's how big people show they love each other." Liz teased. Kid frowned at her.

"I know what they're doing, but how exactly does he know she wants him to do it like that?"

"She doesn't seem to be complaining, does she?"

Kid tore his eyes off the screen, "Well, no, but what if she doesn't like it and she's just going along with it to be polite? What if she'd rather do something else?"

"Like what? Play Parcheesi?"

"No! What they're doing, but...there seem to be a lot of different methods. Are you supposed to discuss the possibilities first and make an itinerary?"

Liz looked stunned. "You are such a freak. I pity whoever ends up with you."

"How do you go from regular kissing to _that_?" He tipped his head sideways to get a different vantage point, "Do you just do it, or do you ask first? How does it _work_?"

"Kid, I hope to fuck you're not asking me to show you." Liz was seriously alarmed by the intense look he was giving her.

"What?! Disgusting!" he skittered away from her so fast he fell off the couch.

Now Liz was pissed off, "You think I'm _disgusting_?" she yelled.

"No! That's not what I meant! I meant things like _kissing_ you would be disgusting."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Kid realized that the hole he'd dug himself into had just gotten ten feet deeper. He put his hands up just in time to keep her from punching him in the face.

"I didn't mean it that way! Quit it, that hurts!" he yelled as her fist hit the top of his head.

Intrigued by the sound of violence, Patty raced in and stood over them.

"Hey Sis?" she asked after she'd watched for a moment Liz sat up and clawed her hair away from her eyes.

"Yes Patty?" she replied, striving for a normal tone while pulling Kid's hair as hard as she could.

"How come you and Kid are beating each other up in front of a soft core porn movie?"

"It's not porn and he's a rude little bastard!" Liz cried, slapping Kid down as he tried to shove her off of him. Patty thought about that for a minute.

"Can I help with the fighting?" she asked politely. Liz nodded,

"Of course you can."

"Goody!" Without warning, she punched them both in the face at exactly the same time. Liz fell off Kid and they grabbed their heads, screaming and rolling on the carpet in pain.

"I win! I win!" Patty shouted, clapping her hands together gleefully while doing a little victory dance.


	8. Alone Time

**A/N:** This chapter is a lime. (Kid and Maka would like it to be a lemon, but it is just a little green lime.) It's not PWP, however (at least I hope not!). I've tried to make it a reasonable part of the plot development. Thanks for reading!

**Alone Time**

"We've gotten as far as we can without Soul." Maka said as they neared her apartment. As independent as she was, she loved the fact that Kid walked her home after practice. He always offered her his arm like an old-fashioned gentleman and she would miss navigating the streets with her hand tucked against his elbow. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of emotion; kisses that grew longer and hotter along with the afternoons, secretive glances across classrooms, aching desire when they parted for the night.

"Already? How did that happen?" Kid asked, frowning.

Maka giggled. "We would've been done sooner if we hadn't taken so many make-out breaks."

"I have to confess I only come to practice for the make-out breaks. What am I going to do now that Soul's going to be working with me? I'll be starved for affection." he said dramatically. He took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Well, you'd better not have make-out breaks with him." she teased with mock severity.

Kid gave a low laugh. "I like Soul and all, but he's not my type."

"Want to come up?" Maka asked, trying to sound casual as she opened the lobby door.

"I certainly do." Kid followed her up the stairs, happily checking out her ass.

"We'll just have to reschedule our make-out time." Maka said coyly, dropping his hand to pull out her keys. Kid put his arms around her and kissed the back of her neck as she opened the lock.

"How about now?" he murmured, "Isn't Thursday video game night at Black Star and Tsubaki's?"

"You know it is. You're usually there." Maka turned to face him and put her arms around his neck. "Soul probably just left. He won't be back for hours." she said, drawing out the last word.

"Good." Kid answered, reaching past her to open the door.

"Soul? Soul, are you here?" Maka called. Kid leaned in close and they waited for an answer. When it didn't come, they stumbled inside, giggling, and he nudged the door with his foot. The moment it clicked shut he kissed her and Maka shivered in anticipation as Kid's tongue touched hers. She dropped her bag, and when they stopped for breath she shrugged out of her coat. They kicked off their shoes and snuggled up on the couch.

"So, now that our part of the training is over, are we going to tell everybody? About us?" Kid put his arm around Maka's shoulders and kissed her temple.

"I...suppose we should. It's been nice having us all to ourselves, though." Maka pressed her face into his shoulder and inhaled, "Damn, you smell good."

"Quit sniffing me! Or at least sniff me on both sides so it's symmetrical" Kid laughed. Maka immediately buried her head on his other shoulder and made exaggerated snuffling noises against his neck. When Kid pulled his head away playfully, she stretched up and rang her tongue over his earlobe. During one of their make-out breaks she'd discovered that it drove him absolutely crazy. To his relief, Kid had figured out that the physical negotiations weren't as complicated as he'd feared, and that it wasn't necessary to make an exact plan before starting something. It was experimentation more than anything else, and they were both loving the slow, sweet process of figuring out how it all worked for them.

He knew, for instance, that it was okay to loosen her tie so he could kiss her neck. He'd stopped wearing his tie to practice altogether, because she liked the way he looked with his shirt collar open and his sleeves rolled up. She knew he could deal with her fingers running through his silky dark hair, even though that mussed it up, and she hoped that her invitation to come upstairs would clue him in to the fact that she wanted their relationship to go beyond the basic making-out stage. She wasn't sure how much farther she wanted to go tonight, but they'd figure that out when they came to it.

Kid felt almost light-headed with lust as he pulled her against his chest and kissed her hard. After a few minutes she leaned back, drawing him forward so she could keep his mouth on hers. Hoping he was interpreting her signal correctly, he pressed her down, sliding his arm under her head so she wouldn't smack it on the sofa's wooden arm. Five breathless minutes later he'd discovered that she liked having the hollow of her neck kissed, that he had a marvelously sensitive spot between his jaw and his left ear, and that it was absolutely inconvenient to fool around while wearing a suit jacket. He sat up, struggled out of the coat and recklessly threw it on the floor.

Maka fisted her hands in the back of Kid's shirt and pulled him back down, loving his weight against her. She yanked on his shirt a little harder and it came untucked, giving her space to run her fingers beneath it. She felt a bit shy, but that faded away as soon as she touched his skin. Encouraged, he slowly slid a hand up over her breast.

"Is this okay?" he asked, stroking it hesitantly. He'd been dying to get a little more physical with her, but neither the echoing ballroom or the clearing at the edge of the woods had seemed like an appropriate place to cop a feel. Not the first one, at least.

"Yeah." Maka murmured. They kissed each other roughly while he fumbled about, searching for her nipple. The sweater vest over her blouse made it hard to find and he was afraid he was going to grab too hard. He'd been spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about getting his hands on her chest, but had forgotten to figure out what he'd do when he got them there. After a few awkward moments, Maka pulled away.

"I'm sorry." Kid whispered, feeling awkward and disappointed, "I just -"

"No, it's okay. Here." she took his hand and slid it under her sweater.

Kid traced the outline of her thin cotton bra through her shirt and then cupped her breast, marveling at how perfectly it fit into his hand. He could feel her nipple now, and rubbed the pad of his thumb over it experimentally. Maka cried out and pushed herself against him, wriggling a little. Kid let out a little gasp of his own as her hip put brief pressure on his erection. They were both panting now, gasping for air between kisses. She ran her hands down to his butt and he shifted his weight so that he could fondle her other breast. Maka's knee slipped between his and Kid gave a strangled little noise as her thigh made contact with his crotch. She was excited, and a little uncertain, about being able to really feel his erect cock for the first time. The hard bulge was pressing against her leg and she wasn't sure what to do next. Then his arm slipped and her head bumped against the curved wood of the sofa's arm.

"Ow! This couch is too damned small!" she mumbled.

"Do you want...should we go to the bedroom?" he whispered, hoping he sounded seductive and not embarrassingly hopeful.

"Yes." she whispered back, "Definitely, yes."

His fingers tightened around her nipple and Maka kissed him deeply. She was wondering if she should feel him up before or after they got to her room, and he was wondering why bras were so damn hard to unhook when the door opened and the lights clicked on.

"Maka, are you home? I forgot my -" Soul's finger froze on the light switch. Maka gasped and tipped her head upside down to look at him. Kid yanked his hand out of her sweater and couldn't seem to remember how to close his mouth. For a moment, they all stared at each other in stunned silence.

And then Soul started laughing.

"For real? _You guys_?" he gasped. He laughed until he slid down the doorframe and onto the floor, clutching his stomach. Maka knocked Kid off of her and jumped up.

"It's not funny, Soul!" She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot at him, but he just laughed harder.

"Are you kidding? This is fucking hilarious!"

"Shut _up_!" Maka yelled.

"You might want to pull your sweater down before you try to get your bitch on!" Soul howled. Maka flushed with embarrassment as she realized that she did, indeed, have her vest bunched up around her breasts. She yanked it back down over her shirt and kicked at her partner, who swatted her foot away and rolled up into a ball of hysteria.

_Screw the no-hitting rule_.

"This is epic. I gotta call Black Star!" Soul turned away from her and dug out his phone.

"Don't you dare!" Maka screeched, pounding on his back. Soul put his hand on her forehead and kept her at arm's length, managing to fend her off until his call connected. Kid watched in mute shock as Soul and Maka reverted to their thirteen year-old selves, swatting and smacking at each other.

"You're not going to believe what's going on over here, man... Maka and Kid are...are..._hooking up_. I'm totally serious. What? Oh, tongue _and _groping. Ow! Quit kicking me, Maka. Kid, come and get your woman off me!"

"She's not _my_ woman. I don't own her. But I don't want to have to help clean your brains off the floor." Kid dragged Maka away from Soul, having finally regained the ability to talk and walk.

Soul held up the phone and turned the speaker on so they could hear their friends yelling smart-ass things that made Kid want to go bury himself in a hole somewhere.

"Well, we don't have to worry about how we're going to tell everyone." he mumbled, hot with embarrassment and anger. "Should I go home? I think I should go home."

"Don't you dare!", Liz' voice echoed over the phone's speaker, "I want to talk to you!"

"Damn it! This is ridiculous. I don't need this!" Kid snapped, gesturing in Soul's general direction as he put his shoes on. Two seconds later he was out the door, still shrugging into his coat.

Maka stared after him with trembling lips, and when he'd disappeared from sight she turned on Soul, who was still holding the phone toward her, speaker blaring.

"Thanks for that. Really, _all of you_, thanks a lot!" she yelled. She ran for her room and slammed the door before Soul could see the tears blurring her sight.


	9. Thrown Under the Bus

**A/N:** Some post-lime trauma for Kid, courtesy of his entire family. Lord Death has always struck me as a rather haphazard father who wouldn't be consistent about a lot of things, and that the rules he actually does enforce would be the silly ones.

**Thrown Under the Bus**

Kid pushed Beelzebub as fast as it would go toward The Gallows. Although it was a gross violation of the house rules, he rode the skateboard right up the stairs like the hounds of hell were on his heels. Actually, he thought, Liz on the trail of hot gossip would make a hellhound look tame. Kid flung himself into his room and locked the door. Two minutes later Liz was pounding on it, demanding entrance. He had a flying skateboard and she'd nearly beaten him home. He dissolved Beelzebub, retracting its magic into his hand so hard that his palm stung. Rubbing it, he glared at the door.

"What, did you teleport here or something? Leave me alone!" he yelled.

"No way! You open this door right now or I'll let Patty kick it down."

"Yay!" Patty sounded thrilled by the prospect.

"Go away!"

"Not on your life." Liz giggled deviously. She scratched her long nails down the front of Kid's door because she knew he hated the sound. "I'm going to park myself right here until you give me all the gory details. And I mean all of them, so OPEN UP!"

Patty bellyflopped on the ebony floorboards, scootching forward so she could peer under the bottom of the door.

"Did you stick your tongue down her throat?" she yelled. Kid lost his temper completely and yanked it open so fast that Liz fell into his room face first, cutting her off in mid-screech.

"That is none of your business, Patty!" Kid screamed, "What kind of question is that? Do you -"

"WHAT is going on up here?" Lord Death's rarely-used Dad Voice echoed in the hallway as he strode toward them. Spirit trailed behind him, looking concerned.

"Kid has a girlfriend!" Patty told him cheerfully, pulling her skirt down to cover up her underpants, "I wanted to know if he Frenched her, and he got all mad so I'll bet he did."

"I see. At least I think I do." Being bewildered and living with Patty went hand in hand, and Death had learned to roll with it.

"Way to go, Kiddo!" Spirit winked at Kid and gave him a thumbs up. Liz hid her face in her hands, knowing what was coming next.

"Aww, that's so nice, Mr. Albarn. See, Kid, it's no big deal. Mr. Albarn is happy that you're Frenching Maka."

Kid felt a wave of pure terror as Patty threw him under the bus. The biggest bus in the history of busses. Spirit's eyes nearly popped out of his head and Kid would later swear that Maka's father grew fangs.

"You WHAT?!" he lunged forward. Liz jumped up and got between him and Kid just in time. Spirit's arms shot over her shoulders but he couldn't quite get his hands wrapped around Kid's throat.

"It's not like that. I didn't do anything!" Kid babbled through a mouthful of Liz's hair.

Patty frowned thoughtfully. "But that's not what Black Star said. Black Star said Soul said you and Maka wuz hookin' uppppp!"

"Okay, Patty that's enough!" Liz said firmly, "They're dating, Mr. Albarn, but you know Kid wouldn't do anything...uh...rude to Maka. He's a gentleman." She shoved Spirit away and Lord Death caught him by the elbow.

Patty nodded in agreement, "He is! I'm sure he asked nice before he put his hand on her-."

"That is _absolutely_ enough, Patty." Lord Death interrupted, holding Spirit back.

"But I was trying to help!"

"And I appreciate your help, honey. But I think you've done all the helping you need to do." Death gave Spirit a pointed look. "Maybe you should go see Maka and get the story from her. After you've calmed down, of course. Let's go downstairs and have a drink. Maybe four or five of them." He steered his shell-shocked weapon toward the stairs.

"And, Kid?" Death looked over his shoulder at his white-faced son, "I think we need to have another discussion about skateboarding in the house. I'll be back up in a little bit."

"Wait a minute! He's molesting my daughter and you're worried about him skateboarding in the house? Where are your priorities? I'm going to stab him. And the best thing is that it won't kill him, so I _can just keep doing it_!" Spirit raved as Lord Death muscled him down the steps.

"Holy shit. That was _awful_." Liz said, feeling stunned. Kid crumpled up on the floor. He braced his elbows on his knees and covered his face.

"I am absolute trash. I don't deserve to live." he muttered, starting to scratch. Liz sat down on the floor next to him and put her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Kiddo. We didn't mean to out you like that!" She pulled his hands out of his hair and kissed the top of his head.

"Yeah," Patty chimed in, patting Kid's back, "We didn't know Mr. Albarn was gonna try to strangle you!"

"He should have. I'm a cad. And a liar! I told him I didn't do anything, but I did Liz! I'm terrible. I've completely, utterly besmirched Maka's honor." Kid gasped. Liz raised an eyebrow at him.

"You did? Like, seriously besmirched?" She said uncertainly.

"What's 'besmirched'?" Patty asked, "Is it some kind of pervy sex thing?"

"Just how far did you get?" Liz asked, still looking skeptical. Kid looked up with tragic eyes.

"Too far!"

"Like third base far, or were you hitting a home run when Soul walked in?"

"I had my hand under her sweater!" Kid confessed. He looked like he was going to be sick. Liz rubbed a hand over her face in disbelief.

"Is that all?" she asked, sounding a little disgusted, "That's what all the drama is about? And when you say 'under her sweater', you mean just that, don't you? Under the sweater but over the shirt? Jesus, Kid, I don't think that even counts as _second_ base!"

"What base is it when the besmirching happens?" Patty asked. Liz reached over and pulled her sister into a group hug.

"There's no besmirching, Patty. It's Kid. If he gets this riled up over putting his hand under a sweater there may _never_ be any besmirching."


	10. We're Out of Here!

**A/N:** Let's see how well Soul and Maka negotiate the Post-Lime Fallout, shall we? And huge, huge amounts of thanks to **EdgyPixel** and **LokiGirl** for reviewing...I'm so glad that you're enjoying this!

**We're Out of Here!**

Maka was lying face down on her bed, not crying. Her eyes stung, and she was sniffling a little but that didn't count as crying.

"I'm not crying." she muttered at Soul, who had appeared in her doorway and asked.

"I'm sorry, Maka. That was really not cool of me." he admitted.

Maka felt the mattress sink as her partner sat on the side of her bed, but she kept her face firmly planted in her pillow, lifting her chin just enough that she could talk.

"You think? 'Not cool' doesn't even begin to cover it. Between Kim and Black Star it's going to be all over school tomorrow, and by the time the rumor mill gets done with it, it'll sound ten times worse than it was. You saw how upset Kid was. He's going to break up with me." Maka finally rolled over and looked at Soul, who felt his stomach sink at the sight of her. He'd expected one of her good, old-fashioned rampages, possibly accessorized with unrestrained screaming and a long-term grudge. The hurt misery he saw instead felt like the slap upside the head that he so richly deserved.

"Why did you have to spoil everything for me? We were so happy, Soul. Even if he doesn't break up with me, Kid'll probably never touch me again. And if you make a crack about me having nothing to touch, I swear I'll kill you."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Soul reached over to Maka's night stand and grabbed a tissue. "Here. I know you're not crying, but you need to wipe up your not-tears." He dabbed at her face awkwardly. She snatched the tissue out of his hands and scrubbed furiously at her eyes.

"I don't know what the big deal is. You and Kid got together. So what? I just don't understand why it was a secret." Soul said, patting her back. "Hell, anybody with eyes can tell he's had the hots for you since forever. I didn't buy his "she's so symmetrical" excuse for a minute." He grabbed another tissue and held it over her nose, "Here, blow." She did and then he patted her back some more, mentally complimenting himself on his excellent sympathy techniques.

"It was because of the...the training." Maka averted her eyes, suddenly very interested in the wall next to the bed. Soul raised an eyebrow.

"_Training_, huh? Most people call it sex, but whatever. Sounds kinky."

Maka whapped Soul in the face with her pillow and he wondered why he just couldn't stop himself sometimes.

"Damn it, Soul! That's not what it was! Lord Death is making Kid learn how to use a scythe and he wanted me to teach him how to handle one before he started working with you." Maka hit Soul with the pillow again because the first whack had felt really good.

"WHAT? Lord Death is going to break us up? What a load of shit. I'm not doing it, and I know Kid isn't going to do that to Liz and Patty. If he does, I'll kick his ass for him. He can roll around on the couch with you all he wants to, but you're _my_ partner and that's the way it's always gonna be." Soul leapt to his feet, pointing wildly at nothing in particular. Maka grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him back down beside her.

"It's not like that." Now it was her turn to pat his back, "Handling a scythe is some kind of stupid Reaper tradition, so Kid has to learn. We'll still be partners and so will Kid and Liz and Patty. You _will_ be Kid's Death Scythe someday, though. He just wanted to learn the basics so you and Black Star wouldn't tease him to death. Because you can be jerks sometimes. Today, for instance."

A sheepish grin crept across Soul's face. "But ya still love me right? Forgive me?"

Maka pretended to consider it. "I suppose. But only if Kid doesn't break up with me or kill himself out of embarrassment. And if you tell everybody at school that we weren't just hooking up. "

"Fine. But -" Soul's phone rang and Maka could heard hysterical jabbering on the other end. Somebody, it sounded like Liz, was loud and upset.

"What? Crap. You did? Well, we're both jackasses then. I'll take care of it." Soul hung up and pulled Maka off the bed. "Com'on get your shoes, we're out of here."

"What's going on now?" Maka asked as Soul dragged her across the room. She tried to slow him down, but her socks didn't give her any traction on the tile floor.

"Your stupid dad is on his way over here to freak on you." Soul answered, snatching their shoes and jackets out of the front hall closet.

"My dad knows? Oh for God's sake! How did he find out?" Maka shrieked. Her partner gave her an uncomfortable look.

"Apparently Liz and Patty were kind of noisy when they were trying to get the details out of Kid, and Lord Death and you dad overheard them. I guess your dad went kind of postal and Liz had to keep him from stabbing Kid or something."

"Lord Death knows too? I'm going to die." she buried her face in her hands, utterly defeated.

"Um...it gets worse. Liz said Lord Death tried to calm your dad down by pouring booze down his throat, but it didn't work. So now he's drunk _and_ pissed off." Soul rolled his eyes, "We need to get out of here." he repeated.

"Hell yeah." Maka put her boots on, not bothering to fasten them before bolting out of the apartment. "Come on, Soul! If I have to deal with my dad right now I really won't ever forgive you."

"I'm coming," Soul replied. He locked the door and pocketed the key. "Keep your shirt on."

Maybe it was the little demon inside him, or perhaps it was just an utter lack of self-preservation but sometimes Soul just _couldn't_ stop himself, "Wait, it's not your shirt you have trouble keeping on, right? Just the vest."

Maka's eyes went wide.

"That's it! The no-hitting rule is suspended until further notice!"


	11. Back-Scratches and Cookies

**A/N****:** Liz and Patty know what it takes to cheer up a bummed out Reaper!

**Back Scratches and Cookies**

"You know, if the whole Reaper thing doesn't work out for you, you could always take up professional sulking." Liz sat down on the couch and elbowed Kid gently in the ribs. He didn't even bother looking over at her; just continued to stare mindlessly at the television.

"Kid, the TV's not even _on_. This is a little emo, even for you." she sighed, "Did your dad say something to you?"

"He said that if I ride Beelzebub in the house again I'm toast."

"That's it? Seriously? You got caught in mid-grope and he didn't say anything about it?"

"Thankfully, no."

"No relationship advice, no big sex talk, no nothing?" Liz buried her face in her hands, "Fuck as many girls as you want to, just don't play with your magic flying toys in the living room? Your dad has the freakiest parent rules of anybody, ever. I bet he's hoping I'll have The Talk with you so he doesn't have to." For the millionth time, Liz was stunned by the fact that Kid hadn't turned out any weirder than he had. A wave of protectiveness swelled in her and she put her arm around the boy who was, in all the ways that mattered, her little brother.

"Is there anything you want to know?" she asked, trying to sound suave. Like she gave sex talks to sixteen year-old boys all the time and it was no big deal. Kid gave her a tragic-faced stare.

"Yes. How do I handle it if she breaks up with me?"

"Why would she do that?" Patty asked from the doorway. "Because you're not any good at besmirching? I made cookies." she hopped into the room and slipped a plate of hot chocolate cookies into Kid's lap, "Because you need them."

"Why," Kid asked, already knowing he would regret it, "Do I need cookies?"

Patty sat down on the other side of him and ticked off the reasons on her fingers, "Well, one, you think Maka's going to dump you. Two, it sounds like you suck at getting laid, and three, you didn't eat your dinner. Chocolate makes the sad_ and_ the hungry go away."

"I do not suck...!" Kid yelped indignantly and then stopped himself short. Saying anything more was just going to get him into more trouble. On the other side of him, Liz snorted.

"Well, that might be your problem right there." she snickered. Kid turned on her and she poked his nose with her fingertip, "Yeah, don't even give me the Big Yellow Glare of Doom. Call Maka later and put an end to the trauma-drama."

"But I - " Kid protested.

"Can it and eat your cookies." Liz interrupted, "If you shut up and promise to call Maka, I'll scratch your back for you."

"Fine." he huffed, turning around.

"God, you're such a back-scratch slut."

"I need a cookie too." Patty announced.

"Why do you need a cookie? Is your love life lying in ruins at your feet too?" Kid muttered. Liz's nails rasped across his shirt and he started relaxing in spite of himself.

"No, because dinner was gross." Patty shuddered, " Liz had that nasty asparagus cooked just to cheer you up and you didn't even eat any. So I had to eat asparagus and now my pee is stinky and you're still bummed out, which means I did it for _nothing_. So give me a cookie before I hurt you, 'kay?"

When Patty had that tone in her voice, the bitchslapping wasn't far behind so Kid wasted no time in handing one over. They did smell good; nobody could beat Patty in the cookie-making department. He took one and nibbled it.

"You're right, Patty. It does help. Thank you." Kid put his arm around Patty and leaned against Liz.

"Liz, if you scratch harder, I'll give you a cookie too."

**A/N****:** In case you're not an asparagus lover, eating it really does make your pee smell wierd. Bet you could have gone the rest of your life without knowing that...I'm sorry.


	12. Making Up

**A/N:** I HATE the trope that insists that the _only_ way Kid and Maka can be together is through Soul being an evil/abusive/psychotic/possessed/rapist. So we wont be doing that one! Soul and Maka pick on each other, but they'd never, ever really hurt each other physically or emotionally. There are lots of types of love, and the platonic kind can be just as strong as the love fueled by romantic feelings. /endofrelationshiprant/

**Making Up**

Maka took the mug her partner offered her and curled up on one end of the couch. They'd just returned from a long, fast ride on Soul's motorcycle, which was one of the best ways in the world to relieve stress as far as she was concerned. Her hair was a desperate mess, but she'd take blasting across the desert outside of Death City with sand and hot wind buffeting her over a trip to the spa any day.

"I think we managed to avoid your creepy old man." Soul plopped down on the other end of the couch and folded his arms behind his head, "At least for tonight."

"I wouldn't have to avoid him if you and Liz weren't such loudmouths." Maka frowned, but there was no anger in her voice. Luckily for him, Soul knew the way to her forgiveness lay in hamburgers and dangerously high speeds.

"Com'on, you've spent most of your life trying to avoid him!" Soul protested.

"You're right. Hey, look at that, you're right about something." Maka chuckled. She took a sip of her tea and stretched her long legs out across Soul's knees. He looked down in distaste.

"Why do you always have to put your stinky feet in my lap?"

"Because your lap is always in the way of my feet."

"Does Kid know he's going to have to put up with this kind of shit?"

"As long as I put my stinky feet in his lap symmetrically and the stink is evenly distributed, I don't think he'll have a problem." Maka said airily. She shot Soul a devious look, "And if he does, well, I have a _special_ way of calming him down. I just -"

Soul slapped his hands over his ears.

"Whoa! TMI, TMI! I don't need to know any details about your sex life. Really. Please."

"You seemed awfully interested in my sex life this afternoon, " Maka said drily, "Besides, I was referring to the healing wavelength technique I've been learning from Miss Marie. When I use it on Kid it really helps him with his issues."

"Oh."

"Gotcha." she pointed at him and smirked.

The phone rang, and Soul reached over Maka's legs to grab it from the coffee table. He checked the caller ID and winked at Maka.

"Well, speak of the devil." he drawled. Maka sat up and reached for the phone.

"Give it to me."

He gave her a toothy grin and answered it himself.

"Hello? Hey, man. Listen, I gotta apologize for being such an ass this afternoon. It wasn't cool and I'm sorry. If it helps, Maka's making sure I set the story straight at school tomorrow, okay? No hard feelings? Thanks. Yeah, she's right here." Soul tossed the phone to Maka and she grabbed it like a lifeline.

"Hi Kid." she said shyly as one hand started smoothing her wild hair.

"He can't see you, idiot." Soul whispered.

"Shut up! No, not you. Soul. Hang on, I'm going to my room." Maka stuck her tongue out at Soul and floated out of the living room, giggling softly at something Kid said. Soul watched her go and rolled his crimson eyes skyward.

"Girls are so weird."

"So, uh...are we still on alone-time basis or are you, um, keeping your hands to yourself from now on?" Maka had never heard Kid sound so unsure of himself.

"If you're asking if I want to break up with you, the answer is no." she gave a nervous little laugh, "That is what you were asking, right?"

On the other end of the phone Kid heaved a sigh of relief, "Good, I can start breathing again." he paused for a moment, then added, "I'm sorry I acted like such an idiot earlier."

"I thought you were angry because everybody found out...especially the way they did. It was just so humiliating."

"They were making something special into a mockery, and you don't deserve that. I was getting a little too angry so I thought I'd better just go home. I didn't think about how it looked until later. Between the embarrassment and the way I left, I figured you'd never want to see me again."

"Angry, I understand. I got so pissed off that I cried."

"I think I've only ever seen you cry _because_ you were pissed off. And I haven't seen you do that in years. Were you mad at me?"

"No, I was mad at Soul. At everybody. But I, uh, wasn't just crying because I was angry." Maka's voice grew soft, "I was...I was afraid of losing you."

"You're not ever going to lose me. I'm with you for as long as you want me to be." Kid promised.

"I want you to be with me forever."

"Forever is a very long time for me, Maka." Kid said quietly. The mood suddenly grew serious and a ripple of tension passed between them. Maka took a deep breath.

"I know. But, really, isn't 'forever' just a way of saying "committed for an unspecified amount of time.'"?

"I suppose. If you want to put it in the most un-romantic way possible."

Maka frowned and hugged her knees, "I mean it, though. No matter who you are, when you say 'forever', what you really mean is until one of you dies or gets tired of the other person."

"Well, that's depressing." Kid muttered.

"Ugh, I'm not putting this right. Maybe we should have this conversation when we can actually see each other."

"Alright."

Kid hung up and Maka stared at the phone in startled shock. Was he mad after all? Or had she upset him? Hell, this dating thing was hard. She threw herself backwards on her bed with a little shriek of frustration and pressed her palms over eyes that were still hot from crying.

"Maka?"

She gave a startled yelp, drawing her fist back as she shot off the bed, but there was nobody there to attack.

"Great. Now I'm starting to hallucinate." she snapped, "I am so done with this day."

"I'm not a hallucination." her mirror said. She whirled around to see Kid staring at her in concern through it.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed, "I didn't know you could do that!" Remembering what she looked like, she clawed desperately at her messy hair, trying to smooth it down.

Kid shrugged, and tried to sound nonchalant. "I can do a lot of things that most people don't know about. Don't worry, I'm not going to be spying on you."

Maka glared at him, "I didn't say you were!"

He gave her an arch look, "You were thinking it."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's the first thing Liz thought about when she found out."

"I can understand why! You really ought to, I don't know, knock first or something."

"You said you wanted to see me, though."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think my mirror got the Kid On Demand Channel! I could have been undressing or something." Maka giggled

Kid raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a slow, sexy smile.

"Would have made my life."

"It would have, huh?" Maka said softly, stepping a little closer to the mirror.

"Yeah. You wouldn't care to do it now, would you?"

"No!' she laughed, "I'm not ready for, what would you even call it? _Mirror sex_? Anyway...now that you're sort of here, I want to explain what I was trying to say about people being together forever. I know that unless something happens to you, your forever is going to be a lot longer than mine."

"Maybe." he looked like he was biting back something he desperately wanted to say. Maka moved even closer to the mirror and held his gaze.

"But that doesn't matter. Maybe we'll break up, maybe we'll be together until I die, who knows? But I want to be with you for as long as I can."

Her nose was almost touching the mirror now, and Kid looked like he was leaning in just as close to his.

"So, forever then?"

"Forever, then."


	13. Gossip

A/N: A very short little chapter to show a slice of school life. Rumors fly through those places like wildfire and are hard to deal with. Even though my personal experience is 20 years old, I'm assuming that high school kids can still be mean-ass bastards and rumor mongers.

**Gossip**

"Oh is this gonna be interesting!" Liz whispered to Patty as they strolled into the Academy behind Kid the next morning. Half the school was shooting sidelong glances in their direction and there was a lot of whispering going on. A couple of people, however, made sure their comments were heard.

"Do you really think they're dating?" a red-headed sword technician asked skeptically.

"I heard he's just banging her." her partner replied, "Emma heard it from Jen, and she should know because her boyfriend sits next to Kim Diehl in chemistry. He called Kim about class notes last night, and everybody at Black Star's house was _screaming_ about it!"

"Why? He could have any girl in school. Wonder what he sees in her?"

"Easy lay, maybe?" a boy joked.

"I doubt Little Miss Honor Student would be an easy lay, even for _him_." the red head sighed, looking at Kid longingly.

"Who knows?" another girl giggled, "Sometimes the quiet, smart ones are the biggest sluts."

Kid gritted his teeth and Liz saw his shoulders hunch up. By her estimation they were going to be out dueling in the courtyard in about three minutes.

"How dare they? Why does the woman automatically get the negative attention for something like this? Nobody's saying _I'm_ an unlovable whore!"

"How can you be a whore when you can't get laid?" Patty asked innocently.

"That's enough, Patty. Nobody's a whore, " Liz said, "Except maybe Julieann Radner. Then again, she's a musket...she's used to being rammed."

Kid wheeled around, shocked. "Good god, Liz, must you be so vulgar first thing in the morning?"

One of the guys from the third-year NOT class gave Liz and Patty a speculative leer.

"Why would he screw Maka Albarn when he's got easy access to the Tit Twins? Albarn's flat-chested compared to them, and I heard she's got a shitty temper."

"All right, that's it. Find me a proctor, Liz, I'm going to blow a couple of heads off!" Kid snarled, loud enough to be heard by everyone around him. The other students scuttled back as purple and black energy began to snap around the young Reaper's fingers.

"Don't, Kid. Kicking asses isn't going to make this any better. Be subtle." Liz said quietly.

"Subtle how?" he asked, without turning around.

"I don't know...do something to show them that you really care about Maka and not just what they're saying about you."

"That means no besmirching!" Patty said, poking him in the back to get him moving. Kid glared at her and stomped around the corner.

"Oh, you're both so helpful this morning. I don't know why-" Kid stopped in midsentence when he saw Maka standing with Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki outside the Crescent Moon classroom. Her eyes lit up when they landed on him and Kid felt his heart go just a little bit wonky. Maka gave him a tentative little wave, and Kid went to her side. Keeping his eyes on hers, he lifted her hand to his lips, bowing over it slightly as if he were giving his respects to a queen. He lingered for a moment, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles and then offered her his arm. Giving him a dazzling smile, she slipped the hand he'd kissed through the crook of his elbow and he walked her into class, just about bursting with pride.

"That was so romantic!" Tsubaki gushed, clasping her hands.

"Wow. That seemed hot. I don't know why, but it seemed hot. Did that look hot to you, Soul?" Black Star asked, completely baffled.

"It was pretty cool of him." Soul said approvingly, looking at the awed faces on all the girls in the hall.

"Who knew he could be so freaking smooth?" Liz mused as they entered the classroom. "He was a raving lunatic last night. Maybe love really does conquer all."


	14. Boyfriend Rules

**A/N:** Another little chapter that basically just sets up the next two.

**Boyfriend Rules**

By lunchtime, the whole school was abuzz with the knowledge that Maka Albarn and Lord Death's son were not only dating, but apparently crazy about each other. He treated her like a princess, so there couldn't be a truth to the rumor that he was just doing her because he could. Besides, her partner was telling everyone who asked that, no, he hadn't caught his technician and her Reaper boyfriend doing it on the school roof, at the park, in the Death Room or anywhere else; and that he didn't know how anybody in their right mind would believe such stupid gossip.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be." Maka admitted at the end of the day as Kid opened the door for her, "Except you got stuck kissing my hand and carrying my books all day."

Kid took the aforementioned hand, "I don't do these things because I have something to prove, Maka. You're precious to me and you should be treated like the lady you are."

"You are so sweet." she smiled before giving him a mischievous grin and leaning toward his ear, "I hope I'm not such a lady that you're going to stop messing around with me."

"You must be joking. I'd like to go mess around with you right now," he whispered back, giving her fingers a little squeeze, "But I need to go practice with Soul."

Kid shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her, "Can you take this for me?" he asked.

Maka took the coat and folded it over her arm."Sure." she told him, giving the jacket a little sniff, "See you after practice?"

"Absolutely." Kid turned to leave, but Maka reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Hey!" she murmured as he spun back to face her. Her mouth brushed his lightly and he was almost too startled to kiss her back. Almost.

"You can't leave without kissing me goodbye. Boyfriend rule."

Kid stroked her cheek and gave her another quick kiss, "We really need to talk about these boyfriend rules. Any others I should know about?"

"We can discuss those later." she said archly. Soul popped up behind them and tugged on Maka's ponytail.

"Can you let go of him for five minutes? It's Friday night and I'd like to get home from practice sometime before midnight."

"I'm going to grace you with my presence!" Black Star left Tsubaki's side and elbowed Kid in the ribs. Kid groaned.

A day of social upheaval and giving up his usual time with Maka to practice with Soul was not putting him in the mood to deal with Black Star.

"And we are going to go have some girl time." Liz announced, sliding her arm around Maka's shoulders and steering her away. Maka had been carefully avoiding everyone all day so she wouldn't have to discuss their relationship with her inquisitive friends.

"Yeah! You're gonna tell us everything!" Patty shrieked. Maka looked pleadingly at Tsubaki, who just laughed at her.

"Don't look at me! I've been wanting to hear everything, too."

"But I have homework!"

"You can do it at our house," Liz said firmly, grabbing her arm, "That way you can give us all the dirt _and_ all the answers!"


	15. Girl Talk

**A/N:** Just a little girl talk. You didn't think Maka was going to escape getting the third degree from Liz, now did you?

Big, huge enormous hugs go out to **8Guest8**, **emsiles211**, **Wordfiend**, LokiGirl, **Guest** and **EdgyPixel **for reviewing. THANK YOU GUYS!

**Girl Talk**

"So then he was all "I've besmirched Maka's reputation." and freaking out all over the place. Just because he grabbed your -"

"That's enough, Patty." Liz put her hand on her sister's shoulder and leaned across the table toward Maka, "Soooo...did you freak out too?"

Maka dropped her head and furiously applied herself to a math problem that wasn't very hard. "Yeah." she admitted in a tiny voice, almost brushing her nose against the paper, "I thought once the rumors started maybe Kid wouldn't want to go out with me anymore. That kind of gossip isn't good for someone in his position."

"His position? What, like anybody's going to care, or even remember that someone saw him making out with his girlfriend umpteen years from now? " Liz shook her head.

"People have long memories, especially for rumors and bad stuff." Maka said.

Patty nodded sagely, "Yeah, like you with your dad. You want to hate him forever because of what happened between him and your mom when you were little."

Maka felt a rush of embarrassment that ended in a prickle of anger

"I meant that _politically_ it isn't a good idea for Kid to have a reputation of any kind that might keep people from taking him seriously when he has to start taking on responsibilities for his dad." her voice was a little sharper than she'd intended and the other girls stared at her. Liz threw up her hands.

"Whoa, there! First of all, it _is_ about time you get over your shit with your dad. And second...how is anybody going to take him less seriously than Lord Death? The Death Room is like that man's personal three ring circus. Plus, Kid's been having raging freakouts over symmetry in public since he was ten years old. People are way more likely to remember that." She gave Maka a one-armed hug, "So don't go getting all cranky and spoiling the fun. We're supposed to be talking about S-E-X here, not politics!"

"There isn't any sex to talk about!" Maka shrieked.

Tsubaki giggled, "Well, something happened, and I'm the only one who doesn't know exactly what it was. And I also want to know how you guys got together in the first place." She leaned forward in her chair and twirled her pen.

"Yeah, Maka, spill! Enquiring minds want to know!" Patty said.

"Kid has to learn to use a scythe," Maka said stiffly. Seeing the shock on Tsubaki's face she hastened to add, "Just because it's Reaper tradition, not because anybody's being reassigned. I was teaching Kid the basics before he started trying to resonate with Soul, so we were spending a lot of time together. And it just sort of happened."

"Come on, you can do better than that! How did it sort of happen?" Tsubaki demanded. Maka paused for a minute.

"Well, it was about month ago and Kid was acting really bitchy," she began.

"Kid? Bitchy? I can't believe it!" Liz interjected, making everybody giggle.

Patty shushed her sister, "Quit interrupting! She's getting to the good part! Wait, this has been going on for a _month_?"

"I almost smacked him with the practice scythe instead of yelling at him," Maka admitted, ignoring Patty "But I'm really glad I didn't because he couldn't have told he liked me if he was unconscious. We were out in the woods and he just started saying all these gorgeous things and then he kissed me." her voice grew dreamy and the pencil dropped from her fingers.

"Awww!" Patty squealed.

"Did you kiss him back?" Tsubaki asked. Maka nodded and then gave her friends a devilish grin.

"So what exactly did Soul walk in on the other night?" Liz tossed her honey colored hair over her shoulder and leaned even further across the table.

"Barely anything," Maka admitted, "We were just making out, really."

"Kid told us he besmirched your reputation, but Sis says he didn't even get to second base. What base _did_ you get to?" Patty demanded.

"I..I'm not sure. I don't know what the bases are." Maka was trying to play for time, but Patty was having none of it.

"Sis knows everything about the bases. You tell us what you did and she'll tell you what base you were on."

"Gee, thanks Patty. Way to make me sound like a slut." Liz complained.

"Well, I...uh...I sort of...grabbed his butt." Maka's face was burning and she found she couldn't meet her friends' eyes.

Liz snorted, "God you two are boring. I'm not giving you second base for that."

Her sister patted Maka's arm. "I think you have to do more than kissing."

"Well, there was more than kissing!" Maka was too riled up for embarrassment. Liz shook her head.

"Nope. You "sort of" grabbed his butt and he put his hand under your sweater, but not your shirt. You get first and a half base for that maybe, but not second."

Maka's innate competiveness wouldn't stand for that, "What the hell do I have to do to get second base?"

"It depends on whether it's major or minor league. Second base in major league is oral sex. In minor it's just fondling, but it has to be below the belt." Tsubaki explained sweetly. Three pairs of eyes widened and three heads swiveled toward her in perfect unison. Tsubaki clapped a hand over her mouth like she was trying to stuff her words back down her throat.

"Wow! You're even more perverted than Sis!" Patty clapped her hands and Maka slapped hers on the table.

"There are leagues? _Leagues_, for God's sake? Why does everybody know about this but me?"

"That's what you get for reading science books instead of _Cosmo_." Liz teased, "Which apparently Tsubaki reads like crazy. But I think you'd better stick to the minors for now. You and Kid are lightweights."


	16. Boy Talk

**A/N:** And now a little locker room talk, courtesy of Soul and Black Star. This is another quick chapter, but I've got two big-arsed ones posting this weekend. (and one of them is nice and smutty)!

Much gratitude to my splendid and much-adored reviewers: **KageFuego4**, **Apple**, **8Guest8**, **Wordfiend**, **esmiles211**, **Guest**, **LokiGirl** and **EdgyPixel**.

**Boy Talk**

"You've got the basics down pretty good." Soul's voice echoed over the resonance link.

"Maka's a good teacher." Kid replied, concentrating hard on a vertical block, "I don't know how she handles fighting with an unbalanced pole all the time, though."

Soul and Black Star both started snickering.

"Maka's good at handling a pole huh?" Soul's voice dripped with innuendo.

"How about your pole? She good at handling that too?" Black Star didn't do subtlety. Kid flinched and Soul fell to the floor with a metallic clang as their link shattered.

"I've been telling you all day that I'm not discussing this with you."

Soul half-transformed and gave Kid a lazy smile.

"You know, if you break resonance every time somebody says something distracting we're never gonna be able to do this."

"Liz and Patty say ridiculous things all the time and I never break with them."

"Yeah, but it's harder for you and me. We gotta concentrate on keeping our wavelengths meshed and fight at the same time. Without Maka here to stabilize the link, we have to keep our heads in the game."

Kid wiped his sweaty bangs off of his forehead. "You're right. Let's try again."

"I could do it." Black Star announced from the side of the gym, where he was doing one-armed push ups, "I'd have no problem fighting with Soul."

"Yeah, that worked really well for you last time. Still have that scar on your head?"

"At least I don't totally fail every time someone mentions my pole." Black Star retorted.

Soul grinned up at Kid, "He's got you there, man."

He and Black Star laughed like loons and Kid nearly lost his temper. Realizing that was exactly what they wanted him to do, he reeled himself back just in time. Instead, he put on his best superior smile.

"That's okay, tease away." he told them airily, "But let's think about this for a moment. Which one of us actually _has_ a girlfriend? Hmmm...that would be me. Perhaps if you weren't so crude you could get girls of your own, and then you could stop being so obsessed with my _pole_."

Black Star and Soul stopped in mid-chortle and stared at each other in surprise. This was not the Kid they knew. They hadn't freaked him out, even a little.

"I could get a date any time I wanted one!" Black Star finally said, "But I'm too busy for that crap. I need to concentrate on...on my workouts. Yeah! I need to concentrate on my workouts if I'm going to surpass the gods!" He threw himself back into his push ups like a madman.

"Well let's see you surpass this god at getting a date!" Kid called, "Now shall we get back to work, Soul?"

"Uh...um..sure. Okay."

Kid caught Soul as he retreated into full scythe mode and tossed him for a vertical drop-and-swing. Black Star sat up and waited until Kid had Soul in the air then yelled,

"So, Kid, have you nailed her yet?"

CLANG!


	17. Blood and Water

**A/N:** Well, we all knew that training was going to end badly, didn't we? I couldn't resist one of the tropiest of tropes; namely the one where the hero and heroine, usually for some ridiculous reason, are forced to end up in the shower together.

I feel like my reason for Kid's breakdown is a pretty thin stretch but I needed to add something to make his flip out extra-bad or it would be a regular old Kid fit and nobody would have paid much attention. Liz probably would have dragged him outside and turned the hose on him.

My creaky deus ex machina allowed me to touch on the Kid Has A Deep Dark Secret trope and show the compassionate side to Kid/Liz/Patty. Maka being torn between Soul and Kid is something I wanted to address as well. Not romantically, but in the sense that changes can be really bittersweet.

**Blood and Water**

The arrival of three bloody, bruised boys in the library brought the girl talk to an abrupt stop.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki was on her feet, looking scared. Her partner was sporting an enormous cut on his left arm and a truly spectacular black eye. Kid was in even worse shape. Blood dripping steadily from a wound somewhere in his hair had turned his white shirt into a gory mess.

"Have you been fighting with each other?" Tsubaki scolded, examining Black Star's eye.

"Soul...Kid...what happened?" Maka was trying to look them both over at the same time. Soul was pale and shaky, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week. He and Kid were staggering against each other, trying to stay upright. Kid was totally out of it and wouldn't take his eyes off his bloody shirt cuffs.

"Ah, crap, he's got blood on his shirt." Liz was going into damage mode, "Patty, go get the water turned on." She grabbed Kid and kept him standing while Maka guided Soul into the nearest sofa. Patty dashed out of the room without a word, as if her continued existence depended on the completion of her task.

"You're worried about the _laundry_?" Tsubaki looked at Liz in amazement.

"I...uh...Kid really hates getting blood on his clothes." Liz looked like a deer caught in the headlights, obviously in distress, "Com'on, Maka, help me get him up the stairs."

Maka left her partner's side, then stopped and went back. "I...Soul, are you going to be okay for a minute?" She spun her head in a near circle trying to look back over at Kid, feeling like she was going to scream from the sheer stress of having to decide to go or stay. Soul reached out and touched her cheek.

"Go on. I'm okay, I'm just really tired. I need to rest." he dropped his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Maka had seen him in similar condition after using the black blood, but decided that questioning him when he was such a wreck would be cruel as well as pointless.

"I'll keep an eye on him, Maka." Tsubaki offered, easing Black Star into a chair.

"Maka! Come on!" Liz was trying to haul Kid out of the room and she sounded like she was on the verge of losing it. Maka couldn't understand the urgency, but there was definitely something strange in play and she rushed to take Kid's other arm. He was pale; a thin sheen of sweat covered his face and his hands were starting to tremble. He appeared to be going into shock. Suddenly understanding Liz' urgency, Maka helped her lead Kid out of the room and up the stairs. About halfway up, he started to shake uncontrollably.

"Shit! Com'on Kid, move it. Don't do this here." Liz barked, doubling her pace. Maka helped her half-carry him through the cavernous upstairs landing and down a corridor, her heart starting to pound when Kid began to mutter under his breath.

"In here." Liz guided them through an open door. Maka caught a brief glimpse of bedroom as they dragged Kid through it and into a steamy bathroom. Patty had the shower going full blast and had placed a nail brush and a pile of black towels beside it. She ran over and started unbuttoning Kid's bloody shirt while Liz knelt at his feet and yanked off his shoes, tossing them across the marble floor. Jumping back up, she grabbed Kid's face and peered into his unfocused eyes while Patty finished removing the shirt.

"Don't hurt me...what did I do...Please don't" he mumbled disjointedly, obviously somewhere deep inside himself. He didn't even seem to notice the presence of the three women or their commotion around him.

"Kid, wake up! Stop it. You don't want to say stuff like that. _Listen_ to me. Maka's here." when he didn't respond, Patty gave him a slap across the face. He stopped mumbling and started trying to curl into a ball away from her.

"Crap. I'm going to have to get in with him. I just freaking washed my hair, too." Liz muttered, yanking her shirt over her head.

"What are you doing?" Maka yelped, unable to hold her questions back any longer. Liz gave her a guilty look.

"I guess I shouldn't be the one doing this anymore, huh?" she said, pulling the shirt back on, "I think this is your job now."

"I don't care about _that_, I just want to know what's going on! And what's the job?" Maka exclaimed.

"He gets nuts when he sees blood on anything white, especially if he's wearing it, and it's even worse when it's on his hands too. If we don't take care of it in time, it gets bad."

"This isn't bad?"

"Not yet. When I say bad, I mean off the rails crazy bad. I didn't want everyone else to see him like this, but you're going to have to learn to deal with it some time. Might as well be now." Liz opened the shower door, "Take off anything you don't want to get wet."

"WHAT?" Maka shrieked, looking wildly from Liz to Patty.

"You have to get in there and help him get the blood off. If we don't get him up here quick enough he can't do it himself." Patty was struggling to keep Kid on his feet, "Sis and I usually just wear our undies, but you should at least take your sweater off 'cause it'll weigh a ton when it gets full of water."

"Hurry!" Liz was starting to sound scared. Maka yanked off her vest and tie, deciding everything else would just have to get wet. Liz shoved her through the shower door and the feel of the hot water soaking through her clothes made Maka's skin crawl. Patty maneuvered Kid into the shower and handed him off.

"What do I do?" Maka called as Kid's weight fell against her and she started to slip.

"Let him sit on the floor. Get his hair clean and get the blood off his hands." Liz instructed. "If he's got blood under his nails, make sure you get it all out. _All of it_. Patty and I will go get him some dry clothes."

They left the room as Kid slid to the bottom of the shower, hunching up with his arms around his knees. Maka was just grateful he'd decided to sit up instead of flopping over on his side; it was too slippery to manhandle him. She snatched the brush and started scrubbing his nails since Liz had made such a point of it.

"Kid," she said gently, trying to get him to look at her. He was rocking a little, still muttering about being hurt, and it was scaring the hell out of her. Not to mention how difficult it was to wash blood off someone who wouldn't cooperate. His soul was in turmoil and Maka felt his utter despair. She didn't know if her budding healing technique was good enough to help with something so intense, but she gave it a try. She gave him her Grigori wavelength and he jerked in shock. Maka wrapped her arms around his shivering form and focusing her whole being on surrounding his tortured soul, snuffing out the madness that crackled around it. Then she concentrated hard on her healing wavelength, took a deep breath, and hit him with everything she had.

The resulting blast was twice as strong as she'd expected it to be. Kid went limp in her arms and released a shuddering breath as the terror left him; for a moment Maka thought she'd knocked him completely unconscious. When she lifted his chin and saw that he was still awake, she kissed him gently.

"It's okay, You're going to be okay." Maka wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Kid or herself; probably a little bit of both. She hugged him close, kissing his lips and face as she rocked them both and tried to stay calm. Suddenly his arms went around her and he was kissing her back, clutching her shoulders through her wet blouse and repeating "I'm sorry." over and over.

"Don't be sorry. Don't be." Maka said fiercely. She started to cry for the second time that week, which was a record for her, and she leaned into his embrace. When Liz burst back into the bathroom they were still on the shower floor, hanging on to each other like they'd die if they were separated.


	18. Touchy Feely

**A/N:** There are SO many injury/hospital related tropes out there that I had to include one. Fair warning, there's lemon ahead. Just enough to make a tart though, they're still working up to a whole pie ;) We're also hitting the "we're magically good at sex" trope, because in romantic fiction girls can get off in four seconds or less if the guy they like so much as looks at them ;)

Thank you to everyone who left a review - they're so much appreciated! **KageFuego4 **and **Wordfiend** \- I'm so glad you guys thought the development/impetus in the last chapter was okay!

**Touchy Feely**

Reality was starting to swim back into focus, much more quickly than it usually did after a major breakdown, and Kid was horrifyingly aware that he was wrapped around his drenched girlfriend and wearing nothing but a pair of equally drenched pants. He swatted his wet hair out of his eyes and looked up at Liz, who was hovering anxiously at the shower door and asking if he was okay.

"Yes. Thank you, Liz." he said, sounding ridiculously formal under the circumstances.

"You okay now?" she asked tenderly, "Are you ready to get out?"

"I'm...fine," he replied, sounding amazed, "I had no idea Maka's wavelength could do that. I feel pretty good. Almost."

"Well, I don't." Maka lifted her head and looked from Liz to Kid and back again, "I'm scared shitless."

"I'm sorry." Kid said again, "I'm so sorry. I'm -"

Maka cut him off, "I said you don't have to be sorry. I'm just glad you're okay, alright?" Now that the panic was over she felt drained and snappish. They slowly got to their feet, and Liz reached in to turn the water off. Patty was waiting behind her with the stack of black towels. Kid took one and wrapped it around Maka's shoulders. The damage he'd taken was already healed, although his scalp still felt a little bit tender. It would take a bit longer to repair the damage to his pride, and that healing process wasn't going to begin until he got some dry clothes on.

"Liz, can you go help Maka find something to wear? I'll be okay for a minute." Kid took another towel from Patty and started rubbing his wet hair.

"Your clothes are on the counter, Kid. We'll go help Maka and then we'll all come right back." Patty used another towel to squeeze some of the water out of Maka's sodden hair as they left the room.

"No, please stay with him, Patty. I'm worried." Maka said. Patty saluted and ran to sit sentry outside the bathroom door, telling Kid to hurry up and get changed or she'd come in and do it for him. Maka didn't think she was joking.

"Com'on in here. I didn't know if you wanted to get changed in front of him or not." Liz led Maka across the enormous bedroom and through a pair of French doors set with frosted glass panes. They opened into a comfortable study, where a pile of dry clothing waited on a corner of the desk.

"I grabbed some of our stuff for you. I think the shorts and panties will work, and if you hand me your bra I'll run it through the dryer before I put in the rest of the wet stuff. It's kind of hot for a sweatshirt but it'll keep your boobs covered up until your stuff is dry." Liz sounded calm again, like Maka had been caught in a rainstorm instead of getting drenched while scrubbing blood off of her boyfriend and trying to keep him from losing his marbles.

"Liz, what the hell was that?" she demanded shakily, "Why did he do that? I've seen him have breakdowns before, but that was something else. He wasn't upset, he was terrified."

Liz averted her eyes. "It's...something I can't really talk about. It's not...just let it go, Maka. It's Kid's thing to explain, but I don't think he will. I wouldn't push it. Not right now." She looked up and Maka saw tears clouding Liz's blue eyes.

"I just feel so damn bad for him sometimes." she muttered. Catching Maka's look of surprise, Liz reeled the emotion back in, "Here, give me those wet clothes and get changed."

Maka wriggled out of her soaked uniform and Liz whisked it away, closing the double doors behind her. It felt weird to be standing wet and naked in a strange room, and she hastily threw on the borrowed clothes. She took down her hair and towel dried it, finally taking a moment to look around as she did. One of the walls curved, forming an alcove, and Maka realized she must be in one of the towers. The rest of the walls were shelved and held books arranged so precisely that the room could only belong to Kid. Two black leather sofas were perfectly squared on either side of the fireplace. Across from them, his desk stood in the exact center of the alcove, and there was a single picture frame in the exact center of the front edge.

The photo looked familiar and Maka leaned in to examine it. She recognized her yellow dress; the picture had been taken at the last DWMA anniversary party. She and Kid had their arms draped casually around each other, grinning at the camera. At the time she'd told herself that it didn't mean anything important - everybody had been taking pictures with everybody else. She had one from the same night of she and Black Star making bunny ears behind Professor Stein's head. This picture obviously meant something to Kid, too, though. A little shot of relieved joy shot through her; the kind a girl feels when she sees proof that the boy she's crazy about is serious about her.

Turning away, she examined Kid's bookcases, still rubbing her hair. In addition to his books there were some photographs and a couple of excellent pen and ink drawings. One of them depicted a lovely woman that she knew had to be Kid's mother. He had her cheekbones, her full lower lip and her long lashes. Her joy de vivre was as apparent on the paper as her long pale hair, and Maka was suddenly desperate to know what had happened to her. Feeling like a trespasser, she scurried out into the bedroom, where Patty was trying to shove Kid down onto his bed.

"I'm fine, Patty." Kid protested although, like Soul, he looked utterly exhausted. He was dressed in his usual black trousers and white shirt but his hair was messy and the shirt was unbuttoned. Maka knew he must be really wiped out to have abandoned his usual formality, but he looked hot as hell.

"You know you always need to take a nap after you do this, so take one!" Patty frowned for a moment, "Or I'll have to knock you upside the head, and make you take one." she finished cheerfully.

Kid craned his neck to look past Patty and looked miserably at his bedraggled girlfriend.

"I am so sorry, Maka." he got up and went to her side while Patty huffed in annoyance.

"Don't start that again." Maka said, putting her arm around his hips. She fought down an urge to grab his ass and wondered what on earth was wrong with her.

"You make sure he takes a nap. I'm going to go see how Soul and Black Star are doing." Patty announced. She flung an arm around Maka's head and hugged it.

"You did good."

"No problem." Maka replied from the depths of Patty's cleavage.

"Thank you so much." Kid called as Patty grabbed Maka's towels and bounced out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"That healing technique is amazing." he leaned over and kissed Maka, "You're amazing."

"I hit you pretty hard. Harder than I thought. It kind of surprised me."

"It was the water. " Kid explained, "Wavelengths travel through water more effectively than they do through air. Black Star and I found that out in the Book of Eibon."

"Huh. Why don't they tell us that when we're studying wavelength physics?"

"I don't know. I hate physics. The whole idea of entropy disgusts me."

He sounded so damn normal. Maka wanted to demand an explanation for his crazy behavior, but it wasn't often that Liz got all teary-eyed over one of Kid's outbursts. This was obviously something different, and she'd been warned to leave it alone. She managed to stifle her burning desire to ask questions and hugged him instead, breathing in his scent as she pressed her cheek to his bare chest.

"You really should rest, you know. Patty's right, you look exhausted."

"Alright, but just for a little while." Kid allowed Maka to lead him back to the imposing black tester bed hung with gray silk. It was covered with a soft old quilt that looked totally out of place in the fancy bedroom and Maka looked at it curiously as she pulled it back. She didn't know much about sewing, but the black, white and grey pattern looked complex and had probably taken someone a long time to make. Kid sat against the pillows and she perched on the edge of the huge bed.

"I think this is the biggest bed I've ever seen." she said, trying to distract herself from staring at him. Kid looked around as if noticing his surroundings for the first time.

"I was scared of it when I was younger because it felt too big. Still does, really. When there's a storm or Patty has a nightmare or something, all three of us sleep in here." he paused, "Hmm, that sounded really perverted, didn't it?"

Maka smiled at him, "Not at all. Hell, I used to share with Black Star when we were little and had sleepovers."

Kid smiled at the thought, "You and Black Star, huh?"

"There are pictures of us. And if you tell anybody that, I'll kill you." She poked his bare chest for emphasis. At least, that was the excuse she gave herself. The fact that the finger trailed its way down to his lean, defined abdomen didn't have any excuse at all. Then she remembered that excuses were no longer necessary.

"My lips are sealed." Kid promised. Just to show how sealed they were, he pressed them against hers. After a moment she eased down next to him, twining her fingers into his damp hair. Kid shuddered when he felt her body press against him and started to kiss her in earnest. His hand slid up the side of Patty's sweatshirt, hesitating just below her chest. Maka knew he was feeling vulnerable and self-conscious and that she was going to have to take the initiative. She figured they could both use a little cuddling, and besides, she _wanted _him, damn it.

Feeling bold, she grabbed his wrist and lifted the hem of the shirt a little. Kid gasped when she closed his fingers over her bare breast, pressing it into his palm. Thrilled, he stroked it experimentally. Her skin was silky and soft, a stark contrast to her hard nipple. He teased it and a shot of desire ran straight between Maka's thighs, an ache of pleasure that demanded release. Kid moved over her, giving himself access to her other breast, and Maka arched against him. His bare stomach pressed against hers and that first skin on skin contact was something neither of them would ever forget. She slipped one hand inside of his open shirt, roaming over the warm skin of his back. Kid continued to pet and tease until she was half crazy and decided it was time for a little payback. She ran her hand down to his waist and eased it between his legs, tracing his erection through pants that were stretched tightly over it.

"Oh, God!" Kid jerked like he'd been stabbed, breaking their kiss and throwing his head back. He couldn't remember ever feeling so good before. Not that he was going to try when he had a girl's hand on his dick for the first time. The fact that she'd grabbed him of her own accord without any encouragement from him made the action even sexier. Apparently Maka was going to be just as confident in bed as she was in battle and if there was a girlfriend jackpot out there, Kid was pretty sure he'd just won it.

Maka dragged her fingernail along Kid's zipper as she pulled his mouth back to hers. She felt his stomach muscles clench and his hand tightened on her breast, wringing a cry of pleasure from her. She panted between kisses and grasped his bulge, feeling it strain beneath her touch. She hadn't expected it to be quite so large, and stroked it curiously while Kid writhed and whimpered. Suddenly he moved her hand away, lacing his fingers with hers tightly. He lay there for a moment, obviously trying to calm himself. Finally he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before rolling toward her.

"My turn." he said huskily. His fingers roamed over her stomach and hips, finally slipping up the leg of Liz' little shorts. It was obvious that he was just as new to the whole touchy-feely thing as she was, but it still felt breathtaking. She was suddenly and uncomfortably aware that her borrowed panties were getting soaked, but then he hit _that_ spot and she forgot everything.

"Unhhh. There." she heard herself sigh as she flung one of her legs across his to give him better access. He circled his thumb and her hips involuntarily matched his rhythm, picking up speed as a delicious throbbing began. Then he stopped. He bloody _stopped_. She felt his fingers slide down, touching her too softly and in the wrong place. Obviously she was going to teach him how things worked, and he'd damn well better be a fast learner.

"No, here." She told him breathlessly. She put his hand back where she wanted it and showed him what to do. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and she was able to let go and enjoy the sensations. She'd never appreciated a set of dexterous fingers before, but she was ready to sing praises to his.

"Harder...and...and...faster." she ordered, "Ohhh, like that. Just, please...like that!"

Their kisses became fierce and sloppy, adding to the pleasure and Maka felt herself going over the edge. She rocked hard against his hand and fell, shattering into a million white hot pieces.

"Kid, oh God, Kiiiiiiid!" Her entire body shook and she muffled a wild scream against his shoulder. Still peaking, she frantically pushed him away and grabbed his cock, needing him to join her. Suddenly nothing in the world mattered more than getting him off, a sentiment Kid shared completely. He had no idea how he'd gone from embarrassed emotional wreck to getting a handjob, but he surely wasn't going to question it. Even _he_ wasn't that crazy.

He was almost there. If he could just get a little more friction. He thought about yanking his belt open and shoving her hand down his pants, but thought it would seem terribly rude. Instead, he grasped Maka's hand, tightening her grip and showing her what he needed. His clothes didn't give her a lot of room to maneuver, but he wasn't going to need much encouragement. She pumped him clumsily but firmly, and in less than a minute, it happened.

"I'm...Maka, you're going to make me..." She felt a hard pulsing and Kid stiffened. He clenched his teeth and a guttural growl ended in a loud gasp, as if he'd been holding his breath for ages. He yanked her hand away again and held it tightly, crying out against her palm as he came. Sexual frustration had been building up for weeks, and it took a while for him to stop jerking and groaning. He finally relaxed, falling flat on his back and melting into the mattress. He drew her toward him and they snuggled together, kissing languidly with limp arms draped over one another.

"Holy crap." Maka finally managed, "That was...I can't even...wow. Was it like that for you?"

"Yes," Kid agreed, "Exactly like that. Only better."

They giggled and kissed again, smiling against each other's lips. Then Kid realized just how explosively he'd come and disentangled himself, carefully keeping the lower half of his body away from her.

"I'll be right back," he promised, kissing Maka's forehead before disappearing into the bathroom. She heard the shower running again and blushed, knowing what he was cleaning up. She could probably use a little attention herself, and she definitely had to pee. Kid finally emerged, wearing fresh clothes and looking a little sheepish. Maka slid off the bed and kissed him on her way to the bathroom. Patty must have tidied it up, because there was no trace of the blood and water that had covered the floor earlier. The room was so pristine that the trauma felt like it had never happened.

When she returned to the bed, Kid was waiting to hold her. She wrapped herself around him, feeling like she belonged in his arms more than any other place on earth. After a while, he tipped her chin up, and his bright gold eyes locked on to hers.

"I love you, Maka. I hope you don't think it's too soon for me to say that, but it's the truth. I'm not saying it because of what just happened, either; my feelings don't depend on what we do or don't do in bed. I've loved you in my head for a long time, but the reality of you, of loving you, is better than anything I ever imagined."

Kid was dead serious and Maka was dead silent. He'd just said he loved her and she wasn't saying _anything_. Kid felt his heart drop and his stomach started to churn.

It took a heartbreaking moment for the joy bubbling up in her heart to reach her face, to bring a sunburst smile to her well-kissed lips.

"You love me too?" Kid asked, grinning. Maka nodded and took his face in her hands.

"I do. I love you, Kid. I love you so much." She blinked hard to prevent her tears from falling, because crying three times in one week really was beyond her limit.


	19. Explanations

**A/N:** And this is where we find out just what those naughty boys were up to!

As always, thanks SO much for the reviews - they mean a lot to me!

**Explanations**

Ten minutes and four "I love you"s later Kid crashed into a deep post-crazy-fit, post-coital sleep and Maka slipped out of his bed. In spite of the relaxing afterglow, she was way too amped to sleep. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, hugging herself with joy. Not only had her boyfriend (_her gorgeous, insane, sexy, death god boyfriend!_) just said he loved her, but she'd had her first real sexual experience and it had been _fantastic_. She floated down to the library to check on Soul. He was stretched out on one of the leather sofas, crashed out as hard as Kid, but for an entirely different reason. She crouched down next to him, examining the dark circles under his eyes and his unusual pallor.

"How's Kid?" Liz asked, creeping in past Black Star, who was snoring in an easy chair with an ice pack on his face. Maka got up and stepped away from Soul, tiptoeing across the carpet.

"I think he's okay now. I finally got him to fall asleep."

"How'd you manage that? Patty said he was being pretty stubborn about it."

Maka gave Liz a sly, triumphant grin, "Second base tired him out, apparently."

Liz clapped a hand over her mouth and gave a gleeful little hop.

"Oh my God! You didn't! You did, didn't you?" she whispered, "Major or minor league?"

"Never mind that now. Did you ever figure out what happened? Why were they fighting like that?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "You're not gonna believe this, but they weren't fighting. They were trying to cross-train without you there to stabilize the link. They couldn't resonate at first, so Soul tried his black blood piano thingy. Long story short, that little bit of madness hit them, and they all went a little bit looney. His link broke pretty hard and blew the other two idiots to kingdom come. Then he fell on their heads in weapon form, hence all the bruises and blood loss."

"They did WHAT?" Maka yelled, "Those idiots!"

"Geez, could ya keep it down? Damn, you're loud." Soul mumbled, squinting sleepily at her. Maka bounded back to the couch, flailing her arms.

"You're lucky I don't do anything worse than wake you up, dumbass! Why would you do something like that?"

"Can we please talk about this later?" he grumped. Black Star squinted at them and readjusted his ice pack.

"Yeah, shut the hell up, Maka."

"Don't tell me to shut up! This was all your idea, wasn't it, Black Star!" She looked like she was ready to blacken his other eye, and Liz stepped in.

"Of course it was his idea."

Black Star started to protest and Liz gave him a stern look.

"Oh, don't try to deny it. This has you written all over it. But in the interest of you not getting your ass kicked in our library, I'm going to take you upstairs to lay down." She pulled him out of his chair and led him out of the room.

"Wait, Liz." Maka grabbed Black Star by the wrist, "You're stupid, but here." she put her hands on his cheeks and rested his forehead against his. His wavelength wasn't as messed up as Kid's and Soul's, but even as strong as he was, she could see some residual effects of the disastrous experiment. They melted away at the touch of her anti-madness wavelength and his soul returned to its usual vibrant self.

"Hey, my headache is gone. Not that a star like me needed your help, but your effort is appreciated."

"Whatever. Come on, big man." Liz dragged him out of the room and Maka flopped down on the end of Soul's sofa, crossing her arms over her chest with an angry growl.

"What the heck happened to you?" he asked, "Your hair is totaled. And where are your clothes?"

"I had to help Liz and Patty with Kid. I got a little wet." Maka replied grouchily, refusing to look at him.

"A little wet is a few damp spots on your shirt. You looked like somebody turned a hose on you."

"My clothes got soaked because I was in the shower helping him get the blood out of his hair. Which wouldn't have been there if all three of you weren't complete morons!"

"Could you please lower the volume? I've got a headache too." Soul complained. Maka finally looked at him with some compassion.

"You usually do after getting that black blood going and it's not channeled anywhere. Why would you try something like that without me? You could have really gotten hurt, or gone totally crazy. Don't do it again." She swung around and leaned her back against the sofa's arm, tangling her feet with his."I mean it. Really, don't. What were you trying to do, anyway?"

Soul dropped back against the pillow Tsubaki had tucked under his head earlier.

"Black Star thought he could wield me now that we can do team resonation. He thought being able to switch up during a fight would be a big advantage."

"I hate to admit it, but sometimes Black Star has a good idea. _Stupidly_ executed, but a good idea."

"He was also trying to show off; wanted to rub Kid's face in the fact that he breaks his link with me every time we mess with him."

Maka narrowed her eyes. "Mess with him how?"

Soul had the good grace, or the increased sense of self preservation, to look embarrassed.

"Uh, ragging on him about you guys. Asking him if...you know, he'd done anything with you yet."

"Soul!" Maka turned red, but he couldn't tell if it was because she was embarrassed or really pissed off. He was betting on pissed off.

"Hey, if he can't keep a link up when we tease him, how's he gonna do it when we're in the shit for real? Thanks to you he's got the moves, but every time he gets distracted he blows the resonance. Even as solid as he is with Liz and Patty he could kill the chain resonance if he's worried about you in a fight. That's something you need to think about now." Soul was defending himself, but Maka knew he'd also been wondering how the new dynamic was going to affect the entire team. It was something she hadn't considered, and, as team leader, should have.

"Kid knows I can take care of myself." She replied, knowing it wasn't completely true. According to Patty, Kid had nearly lost his temper at school over some rude remarks and threatened to decapitate some kids from the sophomore NOT class. "Anyway, it was only the first practice. Maybe you should get the link working before you start trying to blow it up."

"I know," Soul admitted, "But it was kind of funny. Black Star actually made him blush. Never seen Mr. Self-Contained do that before."

Maka heaved an impatient sigh. "What the hell did he say?"

"Uh, he asked Kid if he'd nailed you yet."

"Oh my God!" Maka covered her eyes, "This is insane. And for your information, the answer is no."

Soul managed a sleepy grin, "You come down here wearing different clothes with your hair messed up, tell me you got in the shower with him and want me to believe nothing happened? No wonder the guy's a nervous wreck, you tease."

Maka kicked his feet with hers, "I am not!" she shot Soul a taunting look, "And I never said nothing happened. I said we haven't gone all the way."

"Man, I did not need to hear that."

"Then quit asking about it, you perv."

"I didn't ask, you volunteered."

"Gah! Come here, you big idiot, and let me fix you up. Your damn wavelength is totally screwed."


	20. Kissy Face

**A/N:** Soul ends up getting a teensy bit of payback for walking in on Kid and Maka several chapters ago. This is yet another tiny little chapter - got another couple of those coming up in order to prep the climax of the story and develop Kid and Maka's relationship a little.

Hugs to you lovely people who are reviewing! **KageFuego4** and **Wordfiend** \- I'm glad you think the friendship dynamic between Soul and Maka works. Thanks for all your kind words!

**Kissy Face**

Kid woke up feeling fantastic, if slightly disappointed that Maka wasn't in bed beside him. He lounged for a while, enjoying an unusual sense of well-being and replaying the events leading up to his first erotic encounter. He suddenly realized that he'd never gotten around to actually seeing her bare breasts. That seemed a little backward, considering what else they'd done, but it certainly was something to look forward to. Getting pinned to the mattress by an aggressive Maka was almost as big a rush as hearing those three beautiful words from her pretty lips. She loved him. _Loved him_. And he couldn't wait much longer to see her again. He straightened himself up and followed his soul perception down the back stairs to the kitchen. The girls, minus Maka, were cooking something. It smelled good, so he guessed Tsubaki was in charge.

"You look a million times better." Liz dried her hands on a dish towel and looked him over critically, "I don't know what Maka did to you but it sure worked. Must have really been _something_." She said, giving him her gossip-gathering grin.

"Where's the staff?" Kid asked, changing the subject. Liz had an uncanny way of working information out of him and he didn't want to end up spilling the details of his sex life in front of Patty and Tsubaki. Especially before he got used to the idea that he _had_ a sex life.

"We gave them the night off. Everybody else is crashed out, and Tsubaki was getting antsy."

"She's showing me how to make biscuits!" Patty announced, peeking into one of the ovens.

"Where's Maka?" Kid asked.

"She fell asleep in the library with Soul. Healing the three of you up really wore her out." Tsubaki didn't have one drop of incrimination in her tone, but she made Kid feel guiltier than any of Liz, Patty or Maka's yelling could have.

"I'm sorry about that. We won't do it again." he promised, feeling like a naughty toddler, "I'm going to go check on her. And Soul. I mean I'm going to look in on him too, of course."

"Sure you are." Liz snorted, "Wake them up, would you? Dinner's almost ready." she called as Kid skittered out of the kitchen.

In the library, Soul and Maka were sleeping on opposite ends of one of the couches, Maka curled on her side with Soul's feet resting up on her shoulder. Her head was hanging over the arm of the sofa and Kid felt another pang of guilt, realizing how wiped out she had to be to stay asleep in that position. He lifted her head and put his arm under her neck, supporting it as he sat her up a little.

"It's time to wake up." He said softly, smoothing her hair back and kissing her forehead. Maka's eyes opened, but it took her a moment to focus on his face. When she did, she gave him a sleepy little smile.  
"Hi." she sighed, "I came down here to fix up Soul and Black Star. I was too excited to sleep after...you know...but I guess I got tired later."

"You used up a lot of energy on us. Especially me." Kid looked abashed. Maka reached up to brush back the cowlick on the side of his head. It was so cute she could hardly stand it. She hesitated for a moment, but wanted to say it first this time. Those words that were unfamiliar yet so, so sweet.

"I love you."

Kid gave her a huge grin, "I'm very glad you feel that way, because I love you very much." He leaned in and a started a series of gentle little kisses. The sound of lips smacking woke Soul, who lurched up in horror.

"Hey, do you have to do that right on top of me? It's totally creepy!"

Maka gave him an evil smirk and patted his leg, "Your feet are on me, so technically I was under you."

"That's even creepier!"

Patty popped through the door and gave them a weird look, "Hey, I think there's a threesome happening in the library!" she shouted, sticking her head back into the hall.

"Well, tell them to put it on hold. Dinner's on the table." Liz called from the dining room. Patty turned back toward the trio on the couch.

"Liz says to put it on hold-"

"We heard her." Kid interrupted, looking totally flustered. Soul jumped up, knocking his pillow to the floor.

"The only thing kinky happening here is Kid and Maka liking to get it on when they're _sitting_ on other people!" He hollered, heading to the door.

"Sis, what base is it when _that_ happens?" Patty asked.

"I don't think there is a base for that, Patty. That belongs in a whole different game."


	21. Ideas

**A/N:**Someone requested a food fight via PM. Here you go! This is one of those short, stupid character-driven chapters that are so much fun to write!

**Ideas**

The Gallows' dining room seated eighteen comfortably. Seven people didn't make a dent at the table, and the room was so big that it echoed when the yelling started.

"You know, your cross-training idea..." Maka was cut off in mid-sentence when a biscuit hit her in the face. Crumbs flew as it bounced off her forehead and landed on the table between her hand and Kid's.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know it was a bad idea. Lay _off_, Maka!" Black Star had another biscuit ready to fly. Tsubaki put a gentle hand on his wrist and he stopped immediately.

Kid rolled his eyes, "Kindly stop making a mess out of my table and my girlfriend, thank you." He leaned over and brushed some crumbs out of Maka's bangs. Under his palm, Maka was glaring daggers at Black Star.

"Shut up until I finish, Black Star! I was going to say I thought it was a really interesting idea."

"Wait...what?" Soul craned his neck, trying to look past Liz to see if his technician was joking or not.

Maka had that look on her face. The serious, no-joking one.

"I'm mean it. Just think of the advantages we'd have if we could switch partners. If we got separated or one of us got in trouble, that flexibility might make all the difference in a fight."

"That's what I thought!" Black Star slammed his fist down on the table, rattling some of the dishes and all of Kid's nerves, "It's a great idea. I'm proud of you for recognizing my superior mind!"

"Says the man who failed geometry, what? Three times?" Soul said drily, grabbing his water glass to steady it.

"The weapon-technician bonds won't be as strong as they are with our real partners, but if Soul amplifies the wavelengths, I should be able to stabilize them enough to make it work during a chain resonance." Maka explained, looking thoughtful, "We should try it."

"Well, yeah, because this afternoon was so much fun that you idiots can't wait to do it again." Liz dropped her fork on her plate and looked completely exasperated.

"But if we could make it work, it could help us keep each other safe." Tsubaki said, moving the biscuits away from Black Star before Liz became his next target.

"It would be kind of like me and Sis using each other!" Patty exclaimed, "We can't do Death Cannon or anything without Kid, but If we have one person to throw and one to catch, it's real easy to get behind someone who thinks they have you cornered and blow a hole in them!"

"Exactly! It makes perfect sense, Patty." Maka said.

"Yes, my plan makes perfect sense! Because I'm perfect!" Black Star jumped up and knocked his chair over.

While the rest of the group was distracted, Liz leaned over, gave Kid a fake frown, and whispered, "Maka thinks Black Star and Patty are making perfect sense? Now I'm worried. Did you fuck her brains _completely_ out?"

Kid turned bright red.

"I didn't...you...no...horrible." he stammered. He'd known it was coming, but he hadn't expected her data mining to start in the middle of dinner.

Liz started to giggle uncontrollably and slapped him on the back, "Shit, you should see your face!"

Everyone else was completely stunned by the sight of Kid picking the biscuit up off of the table and crushing it on top of Liz's head, heedless of the mess he was making.

"You should see _your_ face." he told Liz, giving her a self-satisfied smile while he dusted the crumbs off of his hands. He didn't give a damn that they fell all over the carpet, any more than he'd given a damn about teasing Black Star about getting a date. He didn't know if he should attribute it to Maka's Grigori wavelength or the sex, but felt certain that regular doses of both were going to work wonders for his newly chill attitude.

Beside Liz, Soul yelped as a forkful of mashed potatoes landed in his hair.

"Food fight!" Patty screamed joyfully.


	22. Personal Business

**A/N:** I love Big Sister!Liz and Little Brother!Kid. Also, I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable writing Patty, which is a huge relief!

Thanks to **KageFuego4** and **Wordfiend** for being such loyal reviewers! *HUGS*

Um..tropes for this chapter. Other than You're Like A Brother/Sister To Me, I have no idea. I don't think there _are_ any tropes about biscuit boobs and sisters' underpants. (Something to be grateful for, honestly!)

**Personal Business**

Maka and Tsubaki managed to stop a full-out brawl at the table, but it still took forty minutes to clean up the dining room.

"Well I've had about all the good times I can stand for one night." Liz finished wiping the kitchen counter and tossed the dishcloth over the edge of the sink. She pulled the neck of her shirt out and looked down it critically, "I'm going to take a shower. I have biscuit in my boobs."

"Yeah, me too." Soul said, yawning. Maka gave him a stunned look and nearly dropped the pan she was putting away.

"What!?"

"I meant, take a shower. _Take a shower_! Not the biscuit boob thing!" Soul yelped. He glared at Patty and Black Star, who were laughing their asses off. "Stuff it, both of you."

"I think everybody could use a shower. I have gravy in my hair." Tsubaki ran her hand over her ponytail and grimaced.

"I think I have meatloaf juice in mine." Maka commiserated.

"But do you have biscuit boobs?" Patty howled, sending Black Star into fresh hysterics.

"Her boobs wouldn't _hold _biscuits! Not even _crumbs_!" he screeched.

"That's enough!" Liz and Tsubaki said in unison. The cackling stopped like someone had flipped a switch on it. Maka ignored the comment altogether. She happened to know for a fact that her boobs had made a certain Reaper very happy earlier.

"I'm gonna take off. You coming, Maka?" Soul asked off-handedly while he put his shoes on.

"Uh...not yet. I'm going to hang around here for a little while."

They looked at each other for a moment, feeling their world shift just a little. Things weren't going to be the way they'd always been and nostalgia tugged at them. Then Soul smiled.

"Cool. I'll catch you at home later." He winked at her and gave her a one-armed hug, "If you're not around I can crank up the volume on the stereo, so don't rush."

He followed Tsubaki and Black Star out the back door, and Liz locked it.

"All the dining room chairs are straight." Kid announced as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh, good. I wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight otherwise." Liz said sarcastically.

"You have potato on your face, Patty." Kid ignored Liz and held a towel out to Patty.

"That's okay!" she told him cheerfully, "Tsubaki says everybody needs a shower anyway." She picked the piece of potato off her cheek and popped in her mouth as she headed upstairs.

"Some of us have already taken one or two this afternoon." Liz gave Kid big grin, "Speaking of which, I put your clothes back upstairs in Kid's study earlier, Maka."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm going to go clean up and change, then." Maka followed Patty up the steps and Kid turned on Liz, looking like he'd just seen the most terrifying horror movie ever made.

"When did you put her clothes up there? What time did you come into my room?" He didn't quite manage to keep the squeak out of his voice. He knew he hadn't locked his bedroom door earlier and hoped to everything holy that Liz hadn't happened to come in while he and Maka were sliding into second.

"While you were sleeping. Don't worry, I didn't see anything." Liz' grin grew even wider, "But thanks for confirming that there was something to see. Care to tell me any details?

"No I would not." Kid said firmly, "And please stay out of my...personal business."

"Well, if your _personal business_ is spending the night, just let me know and I'll cover for you in the morning. I can tell everybody that Maka stayed with me in my room." She leaned over and kissed Kid on the cheek, "I've got your back, Kiddo."

"I don't know if we're there yet, but thank you." Kid put his arm around Liz and hugged her, "Thank you for more than that. I appreciate you not telling Maka why I got so upset earlier."

"I'd never do that. But you do need to tell her about it."

Kid rested his head against hers and sighed. "I know. And I will. But thank you for letting me handle it in my own way."

"Kid?" Liz pulled back to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Before we get any sappier, or love turns you into more of a snuggle bunny, I'd like to remind you of something."

"And what's that?"

"Whatever you were doing to Maka up there this afternoon? She was wearing your big sister's underpants while you were doing it."


	23. Working It Out

**A/N:** Serious talk time for Kid and Maka!

Thank you to the two new **guests**, **Berri**, **Wordfiend** and **KageFuego4** for the reviews - you guys are SO kind and I really appreciate it!

**Working It Out**

The door of his study was closed, and Kid knocked politely on it.

"Come in."

He pushed the door open and caught Maka in the middle of buttoning her blouse.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, putting a hand over his eyes. He tried to back out of the room and banged into the door frame. Maka laughed and went to uncover his eyes.

"Don't be silly. Hey, why are you out of breath?" she pulled his hand down and kissed it.

"I chased Liz up the stairs."

"Why?"

"Because she's evil. She reminded me that you were wearing her panties while we were...being intimate earlier."

Now it was Maka's turn to cover her eyes, "God, somebody just kill me."

"That's not a very safe thing to say around an actual death god." Kid teased her.

"I know you'd never hurt me." Maka put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him.

"Just the opposite."

"About that." Maka got serious, "You've got to stop letting me distract you when you're practicing. Soul made a good point when we were talking earlier. If you and I are worried about each other during a fight, we're going to trip up. It could get everyone hurt. We've got to make sure we don't put our relationship first when we're working. Especially if we're able to make Black Star's cross training idea work. That's going to push us all to the limit."

Kid sighed. "I know that. You know that. Actually doing it is going to be another story."

"Of course it is. I feel terrible that I never even thought about it until Soul mentioned it. I'm letting my feelings get in the way of doing my job."

"Hey, you're not going to leave me, are you?"

She kissed his nose, "Of course not! I just need to keep my focus. It's going to be hard for both of us, but we've always trusted each other in the past to take care of ourselves and we can't stop now. You have to be especially careful, though. You can't show favoritism to anybody, out in the field _or_ at home. You have to be impartial. Patty told me you almost went after a couple of idiots this morning because they insulted me."

"I was wrong to let it show. It won't happen again, but it was hard to keep my temper. Believe me, I know you can take care of yourself. I just..." he broke off and went to sit on one of the sofas. He rubbed his hand across his forehead and looked out broodingly at the sky.

"You what?" Maka asked. When he didn't answer she sat in his lap and turned his face away from the window, "You have to tell me what's on your mind. Especially if it's bothering you. Boyfriend rule."

Kid gave her a small smile, "You're going to pull that on me every time you want me to do something, aren't you?"

"Yep." she said unrepentantly, "So what's on your mind?"

Kid sighed and put his arms around her, resting his head in the crook of her neck. He wanted to tell her why he'd been so upset earlier, wanted to tell her everything, but that could wait for another day. He told her what was currently bugging him instead.

"A lot of things, but mostly that I wish I could stop being me for a while. Just have a normal life, with nothing to do but love you and go to school. You have no idea how hard it is to try to act like everyone else when I'm not. I shouldn't even want to act human, but I do."

Maka thought about it for a minute, while running her fingers soothingly over his hair.

"But you are sort of human, aren't you? I mean, your mom was, right? Isn't that her picture over there?" She pointed to the drawing on the bookcase. Kid nodded stiffly.

"Yes. At least she was, once."

"Well, why wouldn't you want to be human once in a while too, then? It's understandable, if you grew up with that kind of influence."

They were silent for a moment. Maka could feel Kid's tension and knew he simply wasn't ready to talk about his mother any more. Not directly, at least.

"You look a lot like her." she said, trying to ease away from the subject without dropping it completely, "more than you look like your dad, anyway. You don't look anything like Lord Death."

Kid had to chuckle a little at that, "He's a clown."

Maka stopped petting his hair and looked down at him, "That's not a nice thing to say about your dad. I mean, he's pretty eccentric, but still."

Kid was starting to laugh now, "No, seriously, I mean it! I shouldn't tell you this, but I know I can trust you. The Lord Death you know? That's not really my dad."


	24. Sharing Some Truths

**A/N:** I've always wondered about the immense power that Lord Death and Kid must have, and felt it was never really developed in the Soul Eater storyline. As his girlfriend, I figured it was another part of Kid's life and physical/emotional makeup that Maka would have to start seeing and dealing with.

To the **guest** reviewers, **Wordfiend**, &amp; **Courage-Earthworm'8** who posted their reviews and supportive comments - you guys are the best. Special thanks to Courage-Earthworm for making that beautiful AoT reference. I love you guys!

**Truth**

"What? What do you mean it's not your dad? Who the hell is it then?" Maka was starting to feel scared. The fear in her voice made Kid stop laughing.

"It's a construct, a puppet, a clown. My dad works through it, but it's not really him." Kid looked up at Maka, whose eyes were a big as saucers.

"Like the ones Medusa used to make? But you've always _acted_ like it's your dad." she stammered, "I don't understand, Kid."

"It's like talking to someone over the telephone. If I call you, it's me, but not physically. It's the same thing with my dad, only he's using a construct, not a phone. A phone can't manipulate death magic or wield a weapon, but the clown can, and it's almost autonomous."

"That's fucked up. I'm confused." Maka launched herself off of Kid's lap and started pacing around the room, "I've known your dad all my life and now you're telling me he's not _real_?!"

She didn't like being in the dark about things, especially things that were what she'd considered immutable truths. The earth moved around the sun, nothing could move faster than the speed of light, Black Star was a loudmouth, and Kid's goofy-looking father was Lord Death.

"He is real, but he's the god of Death, Maka," Kid went and hugged her tense body. He rubbed her back, taking his turn to be the soothing one, "It's an immense amount of work, and most of it is far more important than running a school. He doesn't have time to do everything at once, so he uses a proxy." He held her a little closer, "He loves that thing. That's why its face is on everything around here. It's so old it's starting to fall apart, but he won't make a new one."

"So he really doesn't look like that?"

"No. He looks like me. Well, I look like him, to be more precise. At least, when he's in a human form."

"That means he has a non-human form, then." Maka pulled her head away from Kid's chest and gave him a penetrating look. Kid nodded.

"Yes. When he's in full Reaper aspect, he doesn't look human at all."

Maka felt her stomach turn a little, "And which one is real?"

"They both are. Asking a Reaper that is like asking a coin which side is real."

Maka took a deep breath. Sometimes being a child of Death City put her at a disadvantage, she thought. She accepted things at face value that other people would find peculiar or downright terrifying. She knew, for instance, that Death Valley was a desert. The fact that Death City itself was mountainous forest was something she hadn't found unreasonable until she and Black Star entered the DWMA and were faced with the other first-year students' stunned reaction.

It had never occurred to her that an eight-foot tall, legless creature in a mask couldn't be her boyfriend's father. She'd always known that Kid wasn't human, but it was esoteric knowledge. He looked human, he sounded human, he certainly acted human. Even after seeing him gain full possession of his inherent power during their battle with Asura, she'd never thought about what it meant or what he really was.

"And what about you?" she asked slowly, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer, "do you have one? Another form?"

Kid nodded, "Yes."

He saw Maka take another shaky breath, and he stepped back from her. He wasn't going to touch her again until he was sure she wasn't afraid of him. Although if that happened, he'd be pleasantly surprised.

"Do you want to see?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." her voice was small and reluctant, "More like I need to than want to, honestly."

"Fine." His mouth was set in a grim line. Inside, Kid was damning everything about his existence, but he went ahead and gave her what she wanted. He started small, bringing out the simple robe he wore for official occasions. Other than its ability to pop out of thin air, it didn't seem different from any other fabric.

"Is that it?" Maka felt like laughing in relief, "I'm used to that."

"Not quite," Kid replied. He let crackling energy loosen from his fingertips and coalesce around him. Gravity-defying tendrils swirled around the Kid's robes and a mask just like Lord Death's appeared out of nowhere. Then the mask turned frightening and Maka realized that the entire specter was floating six inches off the ground, a swirling cloud of smoky black. Worse yet, she could see through it.

Time seemed to stop as they regarded each other. When Maka spoke, it wasn't in the quivering voice Kid had been expecting.

"Kid, stop making that scary face and put your feet back on." she barked.

The sheer ridiculousness of the statement broke the tension. Two bare feet formed on the floor and Maka marched up and grabbed the mask, which had returned to its usual round-eyed self. It was cold and hard, and came away easily in her hand. Beneath it, Kid's eyes were glowing.

He yanked the cloak over his head and Maka was shocked to see it had returned to behaving like regular old cloth again. Kid wrapped it around her shoulders and she touched it wonderingly.

"I was looking through it a minute ago." she said wonderingly, stroking the cloth, "I could see right through _you_. And it feels real even though it came from nowhere. She held the mask up to her own face and peered at Kid through one of the eyeholes.

"Are you scared of me? Please tell me so if you are." Kid sounded distant and formal, the way he'd sounded when she'd first met him. Before school and friendship and dinner parties and basketball had become a part of his life. Maka stopped playing with the mask.

"No. Taken aback a little, I guess. I know you're not human, but I just realized that I don't completely know what that means. Whatever it is, though, it's not going to change the way I feel about you. When I said I loved you, I meant no matter what. Disappearing feet or not."

She leaned in and kissed him over the bundle in her arms."Just promise not to make anything disappear without warning me, okay?"

"Like this?" Kid touched the cloak and mask and they dissolved in a sizzle of energy.

"Where did they go?" Maka looked amazed, "That shouldn't be physically possible!"

"I told you I hate physics." he replied, pulling her against him and giving her a lingering kiss. Maka felt his hands start to roam, but just as things started to heat up, Kid pulled back, looking slightly alarmed.

"You're not still wearing Liz' panties, are you?"


	25. Manners

**A/N: **Last little goofy chapter for a while. Liked the idea of an after-school practice that a bunch of normal high-school kids would have and it works as a set up for the next three chapters. Ever notice that Soul sometimes acts like he's everybody's dad? Couldn't resist putting a little of that in here!

**Manners**

"Watch your right flank!" Maka yelled across the practice field, "You've got to watch *both* blades!"

Kid dropped the end of Soul's handle just in time to block Black Star's lower secondary attack. He managed to hook the curved edge of Tsubaki's blade and pulled up hard, flipping Black Star onto his back.

"I hate to admit it, but you're getting better." Black Star said, looking up at him, "Don't get me wrong, you still suck. You just suck less."

"I'd like to see you do any better." Kid replied, grinning and offering him a hand up.

"You're on! What do you say, Maka?" Black Star yelled over his shoulder.

"As long as you're careful. I seriously don't want to spend another Friday night mopping up blood." Liz said plaintively.

"Come on, that was weeks ago!" Black Star protested, "Besides, we're getting better. And we only do it when Maka's here. Come on, let's switch."

"I think we should take a break first." Tsubaki suggested, stretching as she left her weapon form behind.

"Yeah! I brought snacks!" Patty had shown up late, toting a big soft-sided cooler. They gathered on the bleachers so she could pass out water bottles and the chocolate muffins she'd picked up at the Pan de Muertos bakery. The girls had taken to attending the after-school practices, mostly to make sure the boys didn't get into any more trouble, but also to start putting Black Star's cross-training idea into action.

Maka was making notes on a clipboard, "I do think we're getting a lot stronger." she mused, flipping back a couple of pages and comparing data. Kid took the paper off of a muffin and held it out for her to take a bite.

"You two are sickening, you know that?" Soul rolled his eyes as Maka broke off a piece of the muffin and fed it to Kid.

"I think it's adorable." Tsubaki smiled sweetly.

"Besides, we've been out of town for three days," Patty said, "So no besmirching for them."

"I can be adorable! Heck, I can be more adorable than Kid any day!" Black Star suddenly and violently tried to shove half a muffin down Tsubaki's throat. She swatted him off and choked violently. Patty thumped her back.

"I can do the Heimlich maneuver!" she offered hopefully. Tsubaki held up a hand to indicate she wasn't in need of that particular service, and Kid stopped Patty from doing it anyway.

Soul punched Black Star lightly in the arm, "Yeah, really adorable, dude. Girls love it when you try to obstruct their airways."

"You're a regular Romeo." Kid looked appalled, "Are you okay, Tsubaki?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Tsubaki said, swallowing hard. After years of living with Black Star, Kid didn't think _anything_ could rile Tsubaki up.

"Let me try again, I can it get right this time." Black Star advanced with the rest of the muffin. Soul reached over and flipped it onto the ground and there was a brief scuffle.

"I think we should get back to practice." Maka interrupted, trying to help spare Tsubaki's life, "I want to try working with all three teams." She looked over at Kid, "Soul and I were able to switch up with Black Star and Tsubaki really well yesterday. I think I can get everybody into play if I stay out."

"Why is that?" Kid was only half-interested. Maka had taken her tie off and opened her collar in deference to the heat and when she leaned against him he could look right down her blouse.

"Soul and I think we'll have better control if I concentrate on coordinating until we all get the hang of it. Let's try it."

"It's Friday night and we're supposed to go out. I haven't seen you in three days, you slave driver." He leaned in and gave her a soft, chocolate flavored kiss. As chaste as it was, Maka knew she wasn't going to be able to focus on work anymore that afternoon. It _had_ been three days, after all.

"Okay, fine," she agreed, "Anybody else mind putting this off until tomorrow morning?"

"Not early. It's Saturday; I wanna sleep in." Soul said firmly.

"Nine o' clock?" Maka asked as they all gathered their things.

"Nine o' clock is not sleeping in. Eleven." Soul countered, "And be quiet when you come home. You were loud as hell Monday night."

Maka looked outraged, "Well, it's not like I did it on purpose. You're the one who left your backpack in front of the door! If you'd pick up your crap people wouldn't trip on it and _make _noise."

"Oh hell, you're going to be at our house anyway. Bring your stuff and stay over with Patty and me." Liz suggested.

"Okay." Maka shrugged and took the arm Kid offered to her.

Liz slapped Soul on the back, "There, now nobody will disturb your beauty sleep."

"Hey, it's hard work looking this good." Soul grinned. Liz tossed her hair at him.

"Just comes naturally to some of us."

"Modesty also comes naturally to some of us." Kid told her disapprovingly. She leaned in toward him and hissed in his ear.

"I just totally set you up for a sleepover with your girlfriend and you're going to pick on me?"

"Point well taken. Be as rude as long as you like. As a matter of fact, please go ahead and throw _all _your manners away for as long as you like."

"I'm holding you to that!"


	26. Date Night

**A/N:** If you haven't read the end of the SE manga, there are some spoilers in this chapter, so this is a stop-reading-now warning! I Just realized that I've never shown Kid and Maka on a normal date, or that I'd never addressed the issue of Crona. Warning - lime ahead! The next chapter is a huge lemon. I'll be posting 27 and 28 simultaneously, so you can skip the smut if you like.

**Date Night**

Maka felt wonderful. She was wearing her blue gingham sundress and was comfortably aware that its full skirts looked pretty spread out around her on the blanket. It was a perfect summer evening and she was in love.

"This is beautiful." she sighed. Instead of taking her out for an ostentatious dinner, Kid had surprised her with an elegant and very romantic picnic in the back corner of The Gallows' formal gardens. Dinner finished, Kid was lying on his back with his head in Maka's lap while she pointed out constellations in the clear night sky. A light wind ruffled her loose hair and made the candles flicker.

"Don't think I'll ever get used to the moon missing, though." Kid mused. he reached up and touched her cheek, "And I know you certainly won't"

Maka looked at the blank space where the black blood sphere blocked out the moonlight that should have been shining down on the old garden. For the millionth time she wondered about Crona, trapped inside it and protecting their world from Kid's monstrous brother.

"Do you ever think we'll get him out?" she asked Kid. He sat up and put his arms around her.

I don't know. Dad and Professor Stein and I keep working on it, but we don't have anything yet. Did I make you sad? I'm sorry if I did."

"No. Everybody acts like nothing happened. They just want their lives to go back to normal and pretend it's all okay. I love you for remembering it. For talking about it even though it was horrible for you." She kissed him. "And it's not all bad memories. You told me how important I was to you for the first time up there."

Kid nuzzled her ear, "And I meant it. You believe in me and that keeps me going. Even if you didn't love me, I'd still want to be the kind of person you felt that way about."

Maka took his face in her hands and looked at him, You know what I believe?"

"No, what?"

She smiled, "That it's time to go upstairs."

The very first thing Kid did was lock his bedroom door. The second thing he did was dim the lights to a romantic level. The third thing he did was kiss Maka until neither of them could breathe.

"You're not wearing Liz' panties, right?" he teased. It had become a standing joke between them. He slipped his hand under her skirt and ran it over her butt. "Oh, good, you're not."

"How can you tell?" she giggled, kissing along his jawline and going along with the game.

"Hers were cut a lot lower."

"Are you telling me I wear granny panties?"

"I don't think you are, but I'd have to check." Kid flipped her skirt up and pretended to look critically at her underpants.

"What's the verdict?" Maka asked, already knowing that the lace trimmed pink silk was right up his alley.

"I'll have to see all the lingerie you have to be sure." He let her skirt fall but kept his hands on her butt.

"Starting with this?" Maka unfastened the little pearl buttons on the front of her dress. She wasn't going to be totally passive, after all. Kid's breath caught as he looked down at her almost-bare chest. He ran his hands over her breasts slowly, enjoying the view.

"Lovely." he whispered, moving his lips against hers.

"Me or the bra?"

"What do you think?" he pushed the strap of her dress off of her right shoulder and kissed the exposed skin, and when she sighed encouragingly, he bared her left shoulder as well. She felt his arms slide around her and then felt his fingers on the back of her bra.

"Can I?" he asked. Maka loved that he always asked, that he never took it for granted. She nodded and his mouth went dry. This was always the hard part. When hooks and eyes came into contact with girl skin they seemed to weld themselves together and sometimes he made an absolute mess of it. The ones on the bra she was wearing tonight were extra tiny, too. He gently pulled the strap away from her back and felt for the hooks, which suddenly seemed as complicated as a nuclear device.

"It's easier if you do it from behind." Maka turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way. She was right, it was easier. He lowered the straps down her arms and turned her around, inhaling sharply as the bra fell to the floor at her feet.

Her breasts were firm and rounded; small and perfectly proportional to her slim, athletic frame. Even though he was seeing them on a very regular basis these days, Kid never got tired of looking. She stood, blushing slightly under his scrutiny, but enjoying the way he looked at her. Then she closed the gap between them and took his shirt off.

"You know," she said softly, pressing her bare chest to his, "We don't have to stand in the doorway."


	27. Home Run

**A/N:** Warning - this chapter is nothing but one huge lemon. The whole pie. Sex ahead. It really has nothing to do with the plot, other than deepening Kid and Maka's relationship and commitment, so if this is not your thing, please go ahead and skip to the next chapter (which is a little limey, but has some plot points).

Much, much love to **Wordfiend**, **KageFuego4**, **Courage-Earthworm'8** and the **Guests** for reviewing.

I couldn't bring myself to totally commit to the We're Magically Good At Sex trope or (worse yet) the Bloodbath Of Screaming Pain. So this is my attempt to write a "first time" scene that's just a _little_ bit realistic and addresses things like birth control, the importance of communication during sex and that making it good takes effort from both partners. It's still magical because I couldn't resist taking advantage of soul resonance - I *know* those kids don't just use it for fighting ;)

**Home Run**

Kid yanked the bedcovers loose with one hand and used the other to pull Maka's unbuttoned dress down. She stepped out of it and they fell onto the bed, kissing madly, with Maka on top. Her hips were wedged between his thighs and she could feel his erection straining against her belly. He was tense beneath her, craving her, and it sent a tingle of desire though Maka's entire body. Kid eased her onto her back in the near dark, and she winced.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling back.

"Your belt buckle's sharp." She murmured. Kid sat up immediately, straddling her legs and looking self-conscious.

"Sorry. Did it hurt you?"

"No, but I think we ought to get rid of it."

Maka reached up and grabbed the offending buckle. Fumbling with it a little, she opened the belt and slowly pulled it free while gazing up at him like he was the most delicious thing she'd ever seen.

Kid paused for a moment, running a finger between her breasts before leaning down to give one of them a slow, soft lick. She gave a wobbly gasp and threw the belt, which landed halfway across the room with a metallic clink. Kid started to suck her nipple gently and she cried out in shock and pleasure, still stunned by how good it felt when he did it. Kid moved to the other breast and wrenched another breathy little cry from her. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head down, encouraging him.

"Harder."

He complied, savoring the sensation of her writhing beneath him.

"You're beautiful. I love touching you." He mumbled against her soft skin.

"Do you ever wish they were bigger?" Maka asked breathlessly as he lifted her right breast and stroked it gently.

"They're perfect." Kid answered, "Everything about you is perfect to me. You look just the way I want a woman to look." He gave her a wicked grin and, pinched her nipple. "And I'm _not _just saying that because I want to get you naked. "

She grinned right back at him and unbuttoned his pants, "I love the way you look, too."

She pulled his zipper down slowly and he made a needy little noise that thrilled her. Kid started to finish undressing, but Maka sat up and did it for him. The pants went to join the belt on the floor, followed a few minutes later by the gray boxer briefs he'd been wearing underneath them. He inhaled sharply when she climbed on top of him, releasing the breath in a long groan as his erection made contact with the pink silk panties. Maka bent and kissed him, rocking gently and moaning as his hardened cock hit her right where she wanted it to. Between the romantic evening and being away from her for three days, Kid was feeling bolder than usual; he wanted to try something different.

"Can I take these off?" he reached up and snagged the sides of her panties, ready to pull them down. After a split second of hesitation, Maka lay down on her back and let him. This was new territory. They'd been doing some serious fooling around that was almost-sex, but her underwear had always stayed on. Liz referred to it as "dry humping"; a horrible, unromantic name that Maka didn't even think was all that applicable. "Dry" was not the first word that came to mind when she found herself coming down from an orgasm with drenched panties and Kid's come all over her belly.

Kid ran his hands over her, completely amazed that they were finally naked together. Maka looked into his eyes, reassured by the love she saw there. It felt odd to be completely exposed to him but it was exhilarating as well. She lay there, letting him explore her body while she admired his. . His tall, slim figure was irresistible in those well-cut suits, but she'd decided he looked even better without them. It seemed almost ludicrous for such a gorgeous boy to be kissing the inside of her thigh and moaning over her and Maka wanted him with every fiber of her being. She reached out to him with both arms,

"Come here."

Although he'd been planning an attempt at oral sex, Kid crawled up beside her and she pulled him down on top of her. He tensed up as his cock was trapped between them and he became painfully aware that he was only inches away from being able to get it inside her. They'd talked about having sex and they both wanted it; had even planned for it. She'd told him that she'd been on the continuous birth control pill regimen for ages; that most of the girls were so they didn't have to deal with their cycles while fighting out in the field. The time had never seemed exactly right, but every time they rolled around on his bed it got more intense and this was more than Kid could take.

"Maka, don't." he gasped, "I can't... I want you too bad." He kissed her fiercely, "I want to make love with you."

"I want it too," She told him, "I want you to put it in me tonight."

Maka knew her own mind and her clumsy attempt to talk dirty to him had made her intentions pretty damn clear. Kid knew better than to ask if she was _sure_ so he just drew her into a tight hug, feeling almost lightheaded with desire.

"You know I love you, right?" he whispered, "That this, what we have, is everything to me."

"I feel the same way." she said softly, "I love you, Kiddo. I really do."

"Do you want to do it like this or do you want to be on top?" he asked, feeling nervous. What if he hurt her, or she hated it? What if he came too soon or he was just rotten at making love and couldn't ever satisfy her?

Maka considered for a moment. "I want you on top. I think I'll relax more if I can lie down." she decided. Kid slid his left hand under her head while he used his free hand to guide himself between her thighs. He found her wet entrance and he held himself against it.

"Here?" he asked, embarrassed to have to ask for directions. Books and movies never addressed this part. Maka reached down and moved him a little, then caressed his hand softly.

"Right here." She whispered into his ear. Kid felt her tongue trace his earlobe and shuddered.

He pushed carefully, hoping to hell he was doing it right, and got the head of his cock inside her, frowning in concentration.

"Are you okay?" he asked Maka, kissing her forehead.

"It feels weird but it doesn't hurt." She answered. So far, so good, she thought, hoping desperately that she'd like it, at least a little. Kid was too much of a gentleman to enjoy himself if she was miserable.

"Can I put it in all the way?" he asked, "It's okay if you don't want me to."

"I want you inside me. I'll let you know if it feels really bad."

"Could you spread your legs wider? I...I need a little more room." Kid asked, feeling his face grow red. He'd had no idea losing his virginity was going to be so awkward. Maka nodded and lifted her knees up against his sides.

"Is that good?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I think so. I love you so much," he told her.

"I love you too." Maka replied, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Kid aligned his hips and then pressed forward, taking it slow. He groaned into her mouth as he penetrated her, overwhelmed by the sensation. He pushed himself in a little deeper and Maka tensed up; clutching at him and making little distressed sounds.

"Is it all in yet? It's so big." She whimpered. She figured once she got the hang of sex she'd appreciate having such a well-hung boyfriend, but right now she was being stretched wide by his hot girth and it felt a little scary. Fear of hurting her tampered Kid's desire and he paused, feeling a little bit sick.

"Does it hurt? Should we stop?" he asked, starting to pull out. Maka clutched his hips and held him still. She had never backed down from a challenge and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

"Hell no!" she told him, "I can do this."

She reached down and grabbed his ass so she could help him finish getting in. Together they worked at it until he was completely inside with his balls pressed tight against her. There was no pain; just some throbbing and a tight, full feeling.

"We're not virgins anymore." She told Kid giddily, "Give me a minute and then you can move."

"Just let me know when you're ready." Kid told her, trying not to sound as frenzied as he felt. His shaft was being held tightly and it was driving his lust to new heights. He was dying to move, but he just held still and kissed her while she adjusted to having his cock rammed in as far as it would go. Maka wiggled her hips experimentally and he moaned.

"Go slow for a while." She told Kid. He rocked his hips forward a little, barely moving.

"Like that?" he asked uncertainly. Maka nodded and he continued to make tiny movements until she relaxed a little underneath him.

"Go ahead and really do it." She whispered, her lips brushing his. Kid shakily pulled his cock out partway and pushed back in carefully, gasping in ecstasy as he did. The sensation made Maka squirm against him and he was suddenly very thankful for the control Reapers had over their bodies. Hopefully he could make himself hold off and at least try to make it good for her. He tried thrusting again, feeling clumsy and uncoordinated. He wanted it harder and faster, but made sure he kept a gentle pace, wanting to be as easy on her as he could.

Maka had a death grip on his back and she was biting her lip, obviously not enjoying the experience as much as he was. Kid tried reaching down and rubbing gently between her legs. He'd had enough practice to know exactly how she liked it, and Maka started pushing herself against his hand, reaching for a rhythm that she couldn't quite get. She could hear Kid whimpering and it added to the excitement of his fingers stroking her and his cock filling her.

In spite of his physical control, Kid knew he wasn't going to be able to last too long and worked hard to bring Maka over the edge with him. He'd heard most girls didn't come their first time but most girls didn't have a resonance link, either. He wondered if it would make a difference, and figured it couldn't hurt to try it. He matched his soul resonance to Maka's and they linked together effortlessly. Kid channeled his pleasure into her and she began to make soft little cries that thrilled him. Their ungainly movements became wilder and she was pulling the hair at the back of his neck but Kid found he sort of liked it. Maka strained against him, trying to satisfy the cravings building inside her.

"Something's happening. I want…Kid…I think I'm …." She gasped incoherently as his long, thick shaft pushed into her. His tongue stroked hers, and he moaned rhythmically in time with his thrusts. Her nipples were rubbing against Kid's chest and his thumb was making tight, fast circles on the little bundle of nerves at her core. She crossed her ankles behind his ass to help guide his movements and worked herself against him, trying desperately to come. Then they reached a familiar rhythm and she knew he was going to give her what she wanted. If he could just keep hitting that one spot...

"Right there! Don't stop…please, don't stop…Kid, I'm..._KID_!" Maka screamed, arching under him in rapture as she came. She was dimly aware that she was making loud noises; repeating Kid's name and telling him she loved him, but she didn't give a damn about being quiet. Nothing they'd done before had prepared her for what she was feeling, and she had no choice but to give herself up to it completely.

Kid watched her climax and felt absurdly proud of himself. He'd made her come quite a lot in the last month, but she'd never gone wild like this. Her ecstasy exploded through their resonance link and it took every shred of control he had to enjoy watching her and hold off his own orgasm.

When she started to go limp he braced both elbows beside her head. His hand was no longer between them and a ragged breath escaped him as he slid all the way in.

"Love you. Love you so much." Maka murmured drunkenly as he started to move again, desperate for his own release.

"Please... I need to...can I do it harder?…" He begged, burying his face in her neck.

"Like this?" Maka panted, forcing her still-quivering body against his.

Kid growled through clenched teeth and sped up. His balls tightened almost painfully and he felt himself coming undone. He gave her a few more hard, fast thrusts and he was there.

"I'm coming! Love you…Maka….Unnh!" his words gave way to a primitive shout as spasms of white hot pleasure burned through him and his hips jerked wildly. He slammed into her and ejaculated; the sensation overwhelming him as he pumped his come into her for the first time. A dozen long, hard spurts finally brought Kid exquisite relief and Maka gasped in surprise as she was filled to overflowing. She held on to him as he finished, cuddling his body against hers as his cries died down to a soft moaning and she felt the sheets grow damp beneath her.

They clung together, trembling and kissing until they could speak again. Kid smoothed Maka's messy hair back and just looked at her for a moment. She was beautiful; sexy, vibrant and smart and he was so grateful that they'd found each other.

"I love you. You'll just have to feel how much I love you because saying it isn't enough."

"I love you too. More than ever." Maka told him, hugging him hard with arms and legs. She never wanted to let him go; he was as necessary to her wellbeing as air and water.

"You're not sorry are you?"

"Not one bit, are you? If I'd known it was this good you'd have gotten laid on the ballroom floor the first time we practiced." She grinned devilishly at him and he smiled back, relieved that she was okay with the sex. Then he thought about it being their first time and grew serious.

"I didn't hurt you too much, did I? I got kind of rough there at the end." He said guiltily. Maka shifted a bit in his arms, taking stock.

"I'm a little sore, but not as much as I thought I was going to be." she told him. "It might sting when you take it out. Just go slow."

"It shouldn't hurt if I stay in until I get soft." He kissed her forehead and started to chuckle. "Then again, that might never happen. You might be stuck here for a while."

"No pun intended." Maka giggled.

"I think I'm getting turned on again." he said suggestively, wondering just how long it would be before they'd be able to do it again.

"Not right now, you aren't. I have to get cleaned up." Maka told him He eased out of her slowly, followed by a another warm rush of wetness. She flinched, and for the first time that night, felt self-conscious.

"This part is a little embarrassing. Just…don't watch, okay?" Kid nodded and closed his eyes while she sat up and checked things out. She was a little tender and there was the faintest tinge of blood from being stretched, nothing more. There was an awfully big wet spot where she been lying, but fortunately the sheets were black.

"Okay, it's not too bad." Maka announced, "I'm fine. You still might not want to look, though. We made a much bigger mess than we usually do."

"Are you, uh, going to be okay with that? Or does it disgust you?" Kid asked her. He opened his eyes, looked over, and shrugged at the mess.

"I'm fine with it….I loved having you come inside me." Maka kissed his nose, "I just don't want you to get upset."

"I am far too blissed out to get upset about anything." Kid replied with a lazy smile. It was true, a hit of her Grigori wavelength combined with a massive release had turned him into a puddle of relaxed contentment.

"I'm going to go take a shower." she told him, sliding out of bed and kicking her discarded dress out from underneath her feet, "Want to come?"

"I just did. Really hard."

"Yes, you did. And now you can help wash it off of me." she giggled. She felt energized, but she knew from experience that it wouldn't last long and she was going to want to sleep.

"Go ahead and get started. If you, um, need a few minutes of privacy I'll change the sheets and then come join you." Kid replied, getting up and stretching.

Maka started to walk away, then turned and dashed back into his arms.

"I love you." she told him fiercely, "I love you more than anything. Forever."

Kid buried his face in her hair, feeling like his heart might burst, "And I love you. Forever."


	28. Pillow Talk

**A/N:** Okay, back to the plot! Well, sort of. This chapter is a mild lime, but nothing major.

As always, thanks to the wonderful reviewers!

**Pillow Talk**

Maka came half-awake in Kid's embrace, and smiled softly when she remembered where she was. It was still dark and she was pleased when a glance at the alarm clock told her that the night was only half over. She'd always been a flannel-pajamas sort of girl, and it felt deliciously wanton to lie with her bare skin against Kid's. She snuggled deeper into one of the pillows and sighed in contentment. Her movement woke him and she felt his arms tighten around her.

"Happy?" Kid asked sleepily, dropping a light kiss on her hair. He'd left the bathroom light on, and marveled at the sight of her lying next to him with her hair down and her breasts bared in the faint glow.

"Perfectly." she purred, rubbing her leg over his, "You have the hottest body and the most comfortable bed ever."

"But it's much more comfortable with you in it, Sexy." Kid wasn't really a nickname sort of person and he felt silly using one, but hell, it was the truth. He ran his hand over her breasts, gently rubbing one of her nipples. She giggled and pulled the quilt up a little higher around their hips.

"You're sure it's okay for me to sleep in here?"

"I hate to be crude, but Liz really isn't expecting you to go sleep anywhere else. If Patty finds out, all she'll do is ask if I've besmirched you, and she tends to do that whether you're here or not. It's terribly embarrassing, even though Liz made her stop asking in front of the staff and at school."

"Well, I can honestly say I have been thoroughly besmirched." Maka smiled up at him, "It was great."

"Yes, it was," Kid gave her a soft, slow kiss, "And I intend to do it as often as you'll let me."

"What about your dad? What if he finds out? Now that I know that he doesn't live in the Death Room... I mean, does he live here? I've never seen him."

"He usually in his office until all hours. He'll pop up if things get really loud, but mostly he's working."

Maka turned red, "Well we were, uh, really loud earlier. I mean, we didn't even _try _to stay quiet. I screamed my head off. What if he pops up here and wants to know what's going on?"

Kid leaned up on one elbow.

"He mostly only does that when we're fighting - you know how fast Patty can get out of control. And you'd have to scream a lot louder to beat Liz when she's angry. Besides, Dad won't care if he finds out we're sleeping together. Honestly, we could make love on the top of his desk while he was sitting at it and he probably wouldn't notice." he gave a little shrug, but Maka detected a faint trace of bitterness in his voice.

"Why do you think that? My dad's head is going to explode when he finds out I'm getting it from you." she reached down and gave his cock a little stroke, "And believe me, with our friends, he's going to find out."

"Can you not do that while you're talking about your dad?" Kid moaned. She stopped and he took a shaky breath, "My dad is almost a thousand years old. He doesn't have hang-ups about a lot of things."

"No, I meant why do you think he wouldn't notice or care about you and what you're doing? Your dad loves you. I know he does. Even if he's a little whacko, he still cares about you. My dad's an ass, but I know he loves me. Don't you feel that way?"

Kid heaved a sigh, "Honestly? I don't know. I know he used to. I think he does the best he can, but he's just not tuned into us most of the time. And the older I get, the more I feel like he's more interested in me as a tool to be manipulated than he is in me as a person."

"Kid, that's not true!" Maka exclaimed, "You should have seen how upset he was when Noah took you. He was a wreck. He should have expelled me or worse for taking the Book of Eibon and losing it, and he let me off the hook just so that I could go look for you. He wanted you back so badly."

"Because he missed me or because he was afraid of losing his heir?" Kid asked, "When I came back he acted like I'd been on vacation and inconvenienced everyone. Hell, I had to stop him from practically violating the Geneva Convention because he was hunting Asura like a lunatic."

"Well, what do you expect the God of Death to do when he's riled up? Go to group therapy or start a rage journal or something? He went on a little rampage. Believe me, we all felt like that but we could at least go do something about it. He had to stay here and wait."

"None of it would have happened in the first place if he hadn't made my bastard brother and screwed the job up. You have no idea how angry I am about that. He sent one son up there to kill the other one and he never said a word."

Maka put her arms around him and drew his head against her chest.

"We had a job to do, and knowing that going in would have made it even harder for you. I know you were shocked, but you've never really talked about it. Did you ask your dad about it?" She ran her nails up and down his back and felt him relax against her.

"Yes, a little. He said it was best if I didn't know, growing up. That too much fear was a bad thing."

Maka kissed the top of his head, "I can kind of see his point. Knowing your brother was a big ball of crazy who was tied up in the school basement in a bag of his own skin is total nightmare fuel _now_. Can you even imagine a little kid knowing that?"

Kid picked up a lock of her hair, "No. I'm sure my mother would have had a fit if he'd told me. Maman was a holy terror when she got riled up." he gave a little chuckle.

"Kid, what happened to your mother?" Maka asked quietly, "If you don't want to talk about her, you don't have to. I just want you to know I'm here for you."

He pressed his lips to the swell of her breast and held her a little more snugly. "I know you are, and that means everything to me. My mother's dead, but it happened a long time ago." There was so much more than that to tell, but Kid was used to putting it out of his mind and he had no intention of getting into it while the girl he loved was naked in his bed. There would be plenty of time to tell her all about his screwed-up family when it wasn't going to kill the afterglow of their first lovemaking.

"I'd rather think about what's happening now." He told her, moving his head down a little and kissing her nipple. Maka gave a little squeal that turned into a moan. Her hands fisted into his hair and after a moment she dragged his head up and found his mouth with hers. Thirty seconds later there was a rock hard erection pressing against her thigh.

"Isn't it too soon to do it again?" he gasped when he felt her hand close around him.

"I doesn't feel like it." she told him smugly.

"You know what I meant! Is it too soon for _you_?"

"Let's find out."


	29. Trouble

**A/N:** Enter Stein and Marie! This chapter begins Act 2 of the story. It's considerably more dramatic and less fluffy than Act 1, which I used to establish rapport between the characters and get Kid and Maka committed to a loving relationship. The upcoming chapters are very short, almost staccato, to keep the tension up. Also to keep you guys from reading ten thousand words of angst, because that shit gets old really fast.

**Trouble**

Stein felt the first shockwave at his lab. He jumped to his feet just as the second one hit, and he tumbled over his chair.

"Are you okay?" Marie asked, poking her head into his office after hearing the crash. Stein considered the question from his position on the floor.

"You know, I don't think I am." he replied thoughtfully, "Or, more precisely, somebody else isn't. There are resonance links exploding, souls in chaos. Something is happening at the school. Maka's team."

Marie's eyes widened, "Someone's attacking the kids?". She grabbed Stein's arm and hauled him up. She was creepily strong for such a small woman. Especially when her beloved students were in danger. They were her children just as much as the baby she was expecting and she was fiercely protective of them.

"I don't know, but it's very-" Stein inhaled sharply as another blast of madness-tinged energy sizzled into his soul perception. He shook his head to clear it and reached for his screw. A couple of clockwise clicks should do the trick, he thought. It did, but he knew the reprieve wasn't going to last long.

"That does it!" Marie gasped, "I'm going to call Lord Death."

She blasted back to the living room toward the full-length mirror on the wall beside the kitchen door. It popped to life just as she began to trace the number for the Death Room on its surface.

"Hello, Marie! Hello, hello!" Lord Death waved brightly, "And Stein! Good, you're both home. There's a little something going on at the school."

"A little something? Stein said the kids are in trouble!" Marie shrieked, "We need to get over there now!"

Lord Death nodded, "Exactly. That's why I'm calling you. No time to walk over, come on through!"

The surface of the mirror shimmered and became transparent. Marie and Stein stepped through it into the Death Room just as another blast went off.

"That one was a doozy! Those kids are sure up to something." Lord Death shook his head to clear it.

"Kids? What kids? Is my Maka in danger?" Spirit asked, grabbing his boss' arm and yanking on it.

"Her entire team is in danger," Lord Death replied calmly, "But they're doing the damage to themselves."

"What?!" Marie and Spirit shrieked in unison. Lord Death pushed Spirit away and turned to Stein.

"They appear to be trying some kind of experiment, and it's going badly. Can you go sort things out?" he figured if anybody could handle wavelength explosions, wrong-headed experimentation and resonance disasters, it was Stein, "I know you're entirely capable, but I'll be along in a minute. Just in case."

"I'll get to the bottom of it." the scientist said grimly, "Marie you'd better come too. I think you're going to have to heal some soul damage."

Spirit went white around the mouth, "_Soul damage_!? I'm coming with you."

Stein considered for a moment, "I suppose you'd better. I might need some help carrying the bodies."


	30. Violent Failure

**A/N:** Well _this_ experiment isn't going to end well...

Thanks to the wonderful people who are reviewing in the comments or via PM. You guys are the best!

**Violent Failure**

"Let's try it again." Maka panted, doggedly dragging herself into a standing position. Trying to swap multiple technician/weapon partners was taking everything she had, but they were making progress.

"Are you sure?" Tsubaki frowned in concern at her exhausted friend, "Maybe we should rest for a little."

"Hell no! We can do this!" Black Star said fiercely, "Or at least we could, if Maka would get her shit together."

Kid shot him a dirty look but kept his mouth shut. After making love with her the night before he was feeling even more protective of Maka than usual, but knew she could handle Black Star herself and wouldn't thank him for his interference.

"Ah, shove it, Black Star. At least everybody else is keeping themselves in check, which is more than you can say for _your_ last three tries." Maka retorted, "Let's go Soul!"

"On it!" her partner replied. Powered by the sound of Soul's black-blood fueled piano, Maka drew them together, linking them firmly and keeping the madness in check.

"Okay, ready Kid?" she reached toward him as he and Soul began to resonate, bonding their link. It hummed with distortion, but it held. Liz was next. She was used to wielding a weapon, and paired with Tsubaki's gentle, accommodating soul, they made a decent pair.

"I'm ready, she announced. She let Tsubaki make the first move, and with Maka's help the two women formed their connection.

Maka left Black Star and Patty for last. Their combined strength funneled energy into the group, but it was wild and Maka had to be careful about distributing it evenly. An unbalanced entry by Black Star and Patty had blown them all sky high on several occasions and the last one had been pretty bad.

It felt like trying to balance a house of cards on a moving roller coaster, but it was working this time. Fresh sweat rolled down Maka's forehead as she meshed the group together.

"Okay. Soul, you and Kid go first." she ordered, shuffling a little more power their way as Kid launched a lateral attack on a practice target near the center of the field. When he began his swing, Maka sent Black Star and Patty into action, closely followed by Liz and Tsubaki. Maka pushed the group resonance to the limit, and was thrilled when it held.

"Okay! We're doing it!" her voice rang triumphantly over the link, "Now, Tsubaki you take Patty and Black Star, you take Liz...stay with me, Soul..."

A crescendo of jarring chords sang through their heads as Black Star and Liz charged past each other, tossing Patty and Tsubaki into the air and trading the weapons as they fell. Maka felt them scrambling to forge the new links, and then the whole resonance chain began to come apart at the seams.

"I'm losing it! Soul, help me..." Maka screamed as Black Star's link with Liz faltered. They managed to correct and hold on, but just barely.

"Working...on...it." Soul's music was as strained as his voice. He hit the keys as hard as he could and released a mammoth surge of energy a fraction of a second before Patty's link with Tsubaki blew. Maka screamed as the chain resonance started to break apart. She had only a split second left before Soul's madness-fueled wave came smashing down and there was no way she was going to get him out in time. He was going to be lost and there was nothing she could do. His eyes rolled up in his head and he crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks.

Kid threw himself on top of her, "Get Soul!" he yelled. He used his Reaper power to give her as much insulation as he could, and she left, sending her psyche into the black blood to rescue her partner. Without Maka's guidance to channel and control it, they were hit full force by the wave of chaos with no protection. The splintering blue-white barrier of the group resonance burst into an ominous ball of black smoke and Kid felt himself beginning to drown. His last, twisted thoughts were of Maka.

On the far side of the field, Stein, Marie and Spirit were witness to the destruction. The link explosion sent them rolling to the ground, clutching their heads in pain.

"Maka!" Spirit screamed, as something hit his back. He saw bodies on the ground, obscured by a mass of swirling black that enveloped most of the field. Just beyond its limits, he saw Tsubaki and Liz crawling away in terror. Someone inside the cloud was screaming. Then his face was forced into the dirt and he couldn't see anything at all.

"Stein! NO!" Marie's partner had completely succumbed to the madness and was intent on tearing Spirit's head off. It took all of Marie's considerable strength to pull him back enough for Spirit to escape.

"Grab him!" she yelled. Spirit looked wildly from her to the practice field and back again.

"Maka...the kids!"

Marie shook her head, struggling with Stein, "If you don't help me neither of us is going to be around to help anybody!"

"I've got him! I've got him, Marie." Sid's strong arms locked Stein into place. Nygus was barreling out of the gym behind him. "Go help Spirit!" Sid called to her, as Marie clawed her eye patch off and grabbed Stein's thrashing head.

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill all of you." He giggled.

"Not today, you're not." Marie replied, looking him deeply in the eyes and snuffing out his madness with the golden glow of her healer's soul. Stein collapsed and Sid lowered him to the grass.

"He's out," she panted and Sid nodded. They ran off after Spirit and Nygus across the smoky field, speeding toward the screaming coming from the black cloud.

Maka clawed herself back to consciousness. She had saved Soul. Just barely, but barely was enough. She held him in her arms, feeling a rush of relieved exhilaration that lasted about three seconds. Then she saw Black Star send Kid flying with a wallop to the back of the head. Protected by her Grigori soul, Maka hadn't been affected by the madness, but Black Star and Kid were completely in the thrall of its power.

"Stop it, Black Star!" Maka yelled, struggling to her feet and getting between them. She grabbed Black Star's arm and hung off of it, trying to slow him down. With her back turned to Kid she couldn't see the hateful glare her boyfriend was directing at her.

"You think you can take me?" Black Star's pupils were nothing more than glowing yellow pinpricks that flared as he laughed at Maka, "You're nothing but a weakling. You need to be put in your place!" he swung at her, but in spite of his chaos-fueled speed she leapt out of the way. He was only able to strike a glancing blow to her ribs, but that was enough for Maka to hear several of them snap. She staggered away toward the edge of the field, dragging Soul's limp form behind her like a rag doll as she tried to get him out of harm's way. Mad laughter drifted through the air but nobody paid it any attention.

"You caused this. Fix it. Restore the order right now! You said you could make it work, but you lied." Kid grabbed Maka's shoulder as she tried to run past him. The laughter had turned into wild wailing.

His hand squeezed painfully, thumb bearing down on her collarbone and she lost her grip on Soul's collar. There was crazed anger behind Kid's eyes, and that scared her more than the black lines running over his lips. Just two hours ago those eyes had been filled with love and those lips had been kissing her.

"Kid, you're hurting me!"

"Shut up! Shut up or I'll kill you." He hissed.

"Hold her! I'll kill her for you!" Black Star crowed, winding up. Maka spun into Kid, trying to knock him off balance, and when it didn't work, she bit him so hard that his blood ran down her chin. Kid yelped in pain and slapped her so violently that she flew backward and landed against Black Star. They went down in a heap, kicking and punching

"Stop hurting me! I'm done with this. You asymmetrical bastards disgust me!" Kid snarled, dragging them apart by the hair, "I despise both of you!"

"Right back at ya, asshole. But this whole mess is her fault. If she wasn't such a pansy we wouldn't have failed!" Black Star sneered, "As soon as I kick her ass, I'm taking you down, too."

"I look forward to seeing you try."

"Stop it, both of you!" Maka shrieked, "It's the black blood talking. Let me help you." She desperately activated her healing wavelength, but before she could power it up enough, Black Star punched her in the side of the head, blinding her with pain.

"Kid, help me. Please!" she hated the sound of her own begging, distorted by her swollen lips, "I love you. I can help you."

"Nobody needs your help." Kid grabbed Maka by the throat and shook her. "You make my skin crawl." his hands were locked around her neck, and she couldn't get free no matter how she struggled. He was going to kill her, and Maka knew it. She tried hitting him with her combined wavelengths, but it did no good; he was too far gone.

She had no choice. She lunged as hard as she could and bit him again. Blood dripped and she desperately smeared it across her white tank top and the backs of his hands. Kid looked at it, and stopped dead in his tracks for a long moment, staring at her in horror. He dropped her and she scrambled away from him but she wasn't fast enough. He grabbed her by the throat again. Purple-black sparks started to form around his fingers.

"I loathe you, but you're not going to be around long enough for that to matter, you vile bitch."

"Kid don't do this," Maka gasped, barely able to speak, Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and jerked to the side to avoid a charging Black Star. Kid took the full brunt of the attack and fell, pulling everyone into a thrashing pile.

"I'm going to tear your heads off!" Kid snarled attempting to do just that. Black Star stopped him by passing out and falling on top of Maka, pinning her to the grass.

"Nobody's head is getting ripped off." Marie said firmly as she finished bringing Black Star back to sanity. As with Stein, she was having to work quick and dirty, and knocked him out completely. Sid hauled the unconscious boy off of Maka, who bolted up like a wild animal.

"I have to help Kid!" she croaked, scrambling toward him hysterically.

"Hold her, Spirit! Hold her!" Marie shrieked, backing out of the wild girl's reach.

"Yes, hold her down, Death Scythe. She'll die easier that way. Filthy human garbage. I trusted her and she's no better than the other one." Kid was almost in full Reaper aspect now, skull-shaped pupils glowing as smoky robes flowed around him. He was vaguely aware that someone was behind him, but he didn't recognize his father's soul until he'd been immobilized by the only person strong enough to stop him.

"Let me go! I won't stand for this!" he yelled, lunging at his target.

"Well, don't stand then." Lord Death yanked Kid clear off of his feet and disappeared with him through the mirror he'd conjured to get to the practice field.

"Somebody help me over here!" Nygus yelled from the other side of the field where the wild wailing continued.

"Maka honey, why is your mouth bleeding? What happened?" Spirit wrestled with his daughter, pinning her arms so that Marie could work on her. Maka's head lolled to the side when Marie touched it, and her vision began to dim. The last thing she saw was Patty, lying flat on her back and screaming endlessly at the sky.


	31. Aftermath

**A/N:** That last chapter was _hard_ to write. Black Star and Kid simply wouldn't act like that if they weren't out-of-their-heads crazy. Everyone starts dealing with the aftermath in this chapter, and Maka's definitely upset. I based her reactions off of those in the manga when her friends are in trouble/hurt and she either can't help or blames herself. The only other time she ever cries is when she's really, really mad. I figured that between her injuries, worrying about the boys, feeling guilty and being brokenhearted, even she might just crack a little bit. Don't worry though, she's not going to go all mushy-girl permanently.

For my lovely reviewers - individual responses are at the end of the chapter!

**Aftermath**

Soul opened his eyes. After nearly losing himself in the shadowy confines of the black blood room, the sunlight was blinding. The last thing he remembered was Maka using the last shreds of her strength to pull him away from the piano and smash through the black blood door before it shut on him forever. Kid's protection had given them those few, precious minutes. The walls of the school infirmary were starting to come into view, and Soul saw Nygus sitting beside his partner, who was crying like she was trying to weep all the sadness out of the world. Her voice sounded hoarse and her neck was black with bruises.

"Maka." he croaked.

"Soul! You're awake...I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." holding her side, she stumbled to his bedside and her tears felt like rain on his face. When he looked into her eyes he went cold with fear. Marie had stripped Maka of panic but what was left behind was a broken thing, all her fire and spirit quenched. One side of her face was swollen, and bruised even worse than her throat. He pressed her head tightly to his shoulder so he wouldn't have to look at her any more.

"This is all my fault!"

"We all thought this was a good idea. Well, except for Liz; she's the only one of us with any brains. What happened?" he asked, feeling like he might cry himself.

"The link blew hard right before I asked you to send out that big wave. It hit us full on and...bad things happened."

"Bad doesn't cover it." In the next bed, Black Star was coming to. "I seriously lost it. Damn, almost killed you, Maka. This is really fucked up...I have a headache again..."

Maka crawled away from Soul and over to Black Star, not able to stand. Black Star lost his famous cool when he got a good look at her.

"Holy shit - your face. I'm sorry, oh my god, I'm sorry."

"It was a mistake...we all...oh, Black Star." Maka grabbed his hand and broke into fresh tears. Battered but still strong, Black Star hauled her up and gave her a hug.

"This is all my fault." Maka cried, "If I were just stronger, damnit!"

"Yeah, well it was my idea." Black Star argued, hugging her tighter. She jerked as he put too much pressure on her cracked ribs and he loosened his grip.

"You're both assholes - we all are, stipulated. Now what are we going to do? Where did everybody else go?" Soul demanded, fear twisting his insides.

"Nygus won't tell me where Kid is." Maka told them, laying her head on Black Star's arm and reaching out for Soul's hand, "Or Patty. I saw Patty screaming. I don't know what happened to Liz or Tsubaki. I never saw them after the resonance link blew up."

"Liz and Tsubaki are fine," Nygus handed Black Star a couple of painkillers and a glass of water, "Patty was hit pretty hard. That girl is half way crazy to start with and we had to sedate her, but there's not going to be any permanent damage. She's back home resting and Liz is there with her. Tsubaki's waiting outside with Sid and your papa, Maka. You kids set Dr. Stein off, too. He's stable, but we're keeping him out for a while. Marie is sleeping - it took everything she had to pull you all out. Damn hard thing to put a pregnant woman through."

Nygus' tone hardened and the three penitents dropped their heads in shame. Maka focused on Kid's dried blood staining the tops of her breasts and the front of her white tank top. She finally dared to look up, and tried to stop her lips from trembling in order to ask what was, to her, the most important question of the moment.

"But...Kid. What happened to him? Where IS he? I can't sense him at all. Please, oh god, please tell me he's not...that he's going to be okay!" she went into another bout of hysterics and buried her face in her hands. Soul tumbled over to Black Star's bed and together they gave silent moral support. Behind them, Nygus opened the door to admit those who'd been anxiously waiting in the hall.

"Maka. Baby." Spirit took his daughter in his arms and sat on the floor, cradling her like a small child. Tsubaki sank to her knees and clutched her partner's hand, quietly crying out her relief and exhaustion. Black Star whispered apologies to her and to Sid, who kept a reassuring hand on his adopted son's head.

Soul, who had no one, tried to go back to his own bed, but Spirit put his arm around the junior Death Scythe and drew him in with Maka, trying to comfort them both.

"Papa, please. Tell me where Kid is. Please. I can't stand it, I can't, I can't, I can't." Maka was shaking and she was beginning to rock against Spirit's chest. Her eyes lost focus and her voice drifted away on a mad chant.

"Maka! Snap out of it! Com'on, Maka." Soul looked as alarmed as a sick, exhausted boy could look. Black Star sat up in bed and tried to help.

"Hey, Maka, you're stronger than this. Quit being so lame." Tsubaki saw the worry in his eyes and felt his hand start to shake against hers.

"I can't. I can't. I can't."

Spirit looked at Nygus in alarm as she grimly lifted Maka's arm and stuck a syringe into it. He and Soul hugged her between them as she dropped into merciful silence.

**RESPONSES!**

**SlenderKatt:** Please don't scare your sister or get arrested!

**Courage-Earthworm'8:** I'm glad I was able to get that emotion across.

**Wordfiend:** I'm glad it made sense. Writing concise action scenes is a daunting thing.


	32. Hopeless

**A/N:** Well, **LokiGirl** called it - Kid did, indeed, get the worst of all this. This is the last super-nasty chapter. I won't say the next several are all sunshine and butterflies, but they're mostly better than this.

_This chapter is dedicated to __**Xenohawk**__, who, like Kid, is currently on mandatory rest, although happily (unlike Kid) it's for recovery purposes and not due to being a raving lunatic!_

Grateful hugs to the readers and reviewers, especially **Guest**, **LokiGirl**, **Xenohawk**, **CrimsonBeauty190** and **Wordfiend** for their comments. Special thanks to **Slenderkatt** and **Courage-Earthworm'8** for being upliftingly funny, supporting and encouraging.

**Hopeless**

Across town, on the edge of Death City, another father held a damaged child in his arms. However, Lord Death was not comforting his son. It took most of his strength to hold Kid down; there was no room for compassion.

"Let go of me! I'm going to tear you all to pieces and then I'm going to kill her for hurting me. Why do they always try to hurt me? I'm going to _shred_ her." Kid ranted, struggling mightily.

"You don't mean that, Kiddo. You love Maka. You were out of your mind and she had to try to stop you. If you weren't so crazy right now you'd know she'd never hurt you on purpose." Liz was on all fours, pleading with him for the millionth time that hour.

"Keep your distance, Liz." Lord Death reminded her. She was beginning to creep closer, and he didn't want her to repeat her earlier mistake. Kid still had a chunk of her hair in his clenched fist.

"I'm going to kill her!" Kid repeated, beginning to giggle, "I'm going to tear her open and rip her filthy soul out!"

"No, you're not. Settle down." Lord Death snapped, knowing as he said it that trying to scold the crazy out of Kid sounded ridiculous.

"Why? You killed the other one. When they hurt us we kill them." Kid snarled. He wasn't laughing now. His face had twisted evilly and Liz felt all the hair on her arms raise.

"Is he talking about_ her_? He thinks _you_ killed her?" she whispered to Lord Death, who gave a painful nod.

"Why did you tell him that? No wonder he has trouble trusting you. Or anybody." Liz looked appalled and for a moment, the older Reaper truly regretted taking her into his confidence.

"Look at him, Liz. What do you think he'd be like right now if he'd grown up with the truth? With that fear hanging over his head. Believe me, I know how terrible it can be for a child to have too much fear."

"Worse than being a lunatic?"

Lord Death shuddered, "Far, far worse. I underestimated the power of fear once and something far worse than insanity resulted. I've lost too much to fear. There's still hope for Kid this way."

"Well, I'm glad one of us thinks so." Liz had never felt so hopeless in her life.


	33. Heartbreak

**A/N:** I love Marie! She'd be the only one who really understands what Maka is going through, plus she's a total uber-mom figure. So here she is.

**Heartbreak**

He was stroking her hair and she felt calm and content as his touched soothed her.

"Kid." she murmured. And then she remembered. Sitting up, she found herself looking into Marie Mjolnir's worried stare. Maka realized she was in her own room and wondered how she'd gotten there and how long she'd been asleep. Nygus must have given her something. While she didn't feel any better, at least she wasn't embarrassingly hysterical any more.

"Miss Marie!" Maka exclaimed as the Death Scythe's arms wrapped around her, "I'm so sorry. Are you and the baby okay?"

"We're both just fine, sweetie." Marie continued to pet Maka's hair, rocking her a little as she'd seen mothers do to troubled little ones. Like Maka's own mother had when some little childhood tragedy struck. This was a grown up hurt, though, and Marie wished with all her might that she might help the girl in her embrace get through it.

" How do you feel?" she asked gently. Stein and Nygus had examined Maka's injuries earlier; in addition to the cracked ribs and bruised skin she had minor fractures to her cheek and collar bone, a bruised larynx and one hell of a concussion. Right now, however, Marie was more concerned about her heart.

"I...better. Better than I felt before. But they won't tell me what happened to Kid. Won't you tell me? Please?"

Marie took a deep breath and adjusted her eyepatch. Then she took both of Maka's hands and held them tightly.

"Kid isn't...himself right now. He took the brunt of the explosion and it pushed him deeper into the madness than the rest of you. You have more resistance than just about anybody and Black Star is - well, he's Black Star. Kid wasn't so lucky."

"He was trying to protect me, and help me rescue Soul. He left himself defenseless. But he's going to be all right, isn't he?" Maka didn't think she had the strength to cry any more, but her sight had already started to blur, "I want to see him. I can help him. You showed me. If we worked together, we could heal him up right away."

"I'm so sorry, honey, but he can't see you right now. Lord Death and Patty and Liz are with him, though."

"Why can they see him if I can't?"

Marie's eyes started to sting as well. "He's not in his right mind. He's very upset with..."

Maka looked sick, "If I can just see him. I can fix this. _Please_ get them to let me see him."

"He's too violent, honey. Lord Death and I have been working on him, but it hasn't taken effect yet. We'll keep trying though. We're doing everything we can to get him through this."

"It's all my fault. It was the blood. I bit him. I was trying to get away from him so I did something I thought would scare him enough to make him stop. There was blood everywhere. I wiped it all over my shirt; it was all over me. And I did it on _purpose._" inside her head she heard Liz saying that Kid couldn't handle the red of blood against anything white, heard Kid muttering about someone hurting him. She couldn't imagine what kind of fuel the madness had added to an already deep-seated trauma. She looked again at her blood-stained skin and clothes and started to cry again. Apparently some kind of flood gate had opened and she was going to cry regularly for the rest of her life. Falling in love did terrible things to one's badassery.

"I don't want this. I want us to be happy again. I want this fixed." she told Marie, hoping that if she were insistent enough, reality would bend to her will.

"I know you do. Having someone you love taken away by this awful, awful craziness...it's the most terrible, helpless feeling." Marie hugged her again, and Maka remembered that Medusa had once taken Stein away on a wave of madness and that Marie had lost him the same way she'd just lost Kid.

"You got Professor Stein back. You got rid of the madness. Can't you do it for Kid, too?"

"Like I said, we're trying, but it's not easy. He's not human, remember? He's a full-fledged Reaper and a basic healing technique isn't going to work right away. Give it a little time, sweetie. It's only been a few hours. I know that seems like forever when someone you love is in danger, but there's hope, Maka. At least you still have that."

Maka nodded, trying to believe that it was going to be okay.

"Now let's get you out of those clothes and get you cleaned up." Marie said, standing up and holding her arms out. Maka clutched the front of her shirt protectively. She knew it was irrational to want to sit around covered her boyfriend's blood, but it was all she had left of him. All she might have of him ever again.


	34. A Father's Introspection

**A/N:** Holy crap, I've written and entire mini-chapter _with no dialogue in it_. I can't believe I actually managed it. I figure Lord Death doesn't have too many people he can really talk to, one of the reasons losing his wife is so poignant at this moment. Plus, I really wanted to see if I could meet the no-dialogue challenge!

_Lots of love for the reviewers and readers - so grateful for you guys!_

**A Father's Introspection**

Lord Death was exhausted. The more power Kid developed, the more his own diminished and they were dangerously close to being evenly matched. Kid had calmed enough for his father to bind him with death magic and keep him still; he'd been lying on his bed for several hours, still ranting but unable to do anything more than that. Marie was in with him now, and Black Star was standing watch. If anybody else had a hope of physically restraining a crazed Reaper, it was Black Star.

Now that the first crisis was over, Lord Death found himself overwhelmed by the worry that only a parent with a seriously ill child can feel. If only Sophie were still with him. Someone to truly share in his worries about their son and help him think of a solution. Of course, if Sophie were with him, Kid probably wouldn't _be_ in his current condition. Depressing thought. Like he needed more of those.

He threw his mask on one of the chairs flanking his fireplace as he stalked around the room, too upset to sit down. Not for the first time, his Reaper's robes felt too heavy to bear and he dissolved them. Sophie had always loved watching him do that, fascinated by the magic and by the surprise of what her husband might be wearing, or not wearing, beneath them. She'd never been able to master the trick herself and often grumbled about having to put on robes of humdrum fabric, like a human struggling into an overcoat. Kid was exactly the opposite. He only brought out his Reaper aspect when necessary, or when he lost control of himself. He much preferred to wear a human jacket, and put it on like one of them. He used Liz and Patty as weapons like any other technician would, albeit upside down, and only relied on his innate powers when he had no other choice. Hell, he'd had to be forced to learn how to handle a scythe.

And look where it had gotten him. While he found the concept a fascinating one, Lord Death simply couldn't believe Maka's team had had the guts to attempt cross training, or the stupidity to power the exercise with madness and sheer force of will. Maka had done an astounding job of managing the complex manipulations as well as she had, for as long as she had. Sometimes the girl's power and determination stunned him. He only hoped it would be enough to get her through their present heartache.

Lord Death had done a private little cha cha after Patty had spilled the beans about Kid and Maka. She was perfect for his son, and although they were terribly young, he hoped it would last. Maka was headstrong, and a little impetuous, but she was strong, smart and dedicated. She could have easily coasted through the Academy on raw talent alone, but she pushed herself to new physical and intellectual limits like a possessed thing. Between her strength and her Grigori soul, he thought Maka could go the distance, that she might be the one person to love his son without losing herself.

That is, if there was anything left to love. Kid was utterly demented, and nothing seemed to be having the slightest effect on him. He was wearing down physically but his insanity was growing with every passing hour. Lord Death had created his oldest son with a fatal flaw, inadvertently bringing a Kishin into the world. He been forced to destroy his own child and then watch that knowledge drive his wife mad with fear for their own little boy. Such fear that it had done damage to her child's psyche. His family had fallen like dominoes, one destroying the other and for all his power he'd been unable to stop it. He clung to the hope that he might be able to save his son, all that he had left in the world. If he had to stop Kid from walking in Sophie's footsteps, it would finish breaking his heart.


	35. Marie Takes A Break

**A/N:** Super-teensy-short little chapter for a friend who wanted some Stein/Marie cuteness. This is as cute as I could force Stein into being. Which isn't very.

Can't say how much I appreciate every one of my readers and reviewers!

I put responses to individual reviews and PMs at the bottom of the page to save space and the possible annoyance of folks who don't want to read that kind of stuff :)

**Marie Takes A Break**

"You're exhausting yourself." Stein said sternly. Marie gave him a wan smile and lay down on their ridiculous pink sofa. If anyone ever doubted the mad scientist's love for his partner, all they needed was one look at that frivolous, girly couch in the middle of his otherwise masculine living room and the question never came up again. Marie, Stein mused, came with all sorts of odd accompaniments, like tea cups, and decorative cushions, and _moods_. He had to give informed decisions on whether her handbags matched her dresses, remind her that she looked young when she thought she looked old, and admit to himself that she did, indeed, usually know best. Right now, though, he was pretty sure _he_ knew best.

"I have to help if I can." Marie folded her hands over her baby bump and looked up at him fondly, "Those poor kids."

"Hmph. They did it to themselves, you know." Stein grumped, sitting down on the other end of the sofa and putting her feet in his lap.

"Stop trying to be such a hardass, Franken. You're just as worried as I am."

"Of course I am. I just don't like seeing you do this to yourself." Stein pulled off her shoes and tossed them away. Marie gave a little sigh of pleasure as he began to rub her toes. He'd learned that foot massages made pregnant women happy. He'd also learned that talking about dissecting toes or experimenting on babies made pregnant women extremely violent. As a result, he tried very hard to stick to topics that wouldn't get him kicked in the face.

"If it will help, I don't care. What worries me is that Kid doesn't seem to be getting any better. I took Kim to see him this afternoon, but even her witch's healing power didn't make a dent. There's something going on besides the madness. It touched something off. He keeps raving about hating Maka, but that doesn't seem like the real problem."

"Especially considering that the real problem a week ago was keeping him from practically screwing her against that bank of lockers outside the German classroom."

"What were they doing there? Neither of them takes German!"

"That's not exactly the point, Marie."

"Never mind. Maka thinks she could help him and it's killing her that we can't let her. Her little heart is just about broken. And somewhere under all that anger, I think Kid's is, too."

**Responses to recent (and adored) reviewers:**

**Shadow Wolf Dreamer:** I'm glad I'm able to get those feels across! It's hard to know where good, honest emotion crosses the line into Way Too Emo, but I'm trying to keep it realistic.

**Glownight:** Happy belated birthday! I hope it was awesome, and thanks for letting me be a teeny bit of your happiness :)

**s2Coracions2:** Oh, Kid definitely needs some "love" and I think he'll be getting it one way or another, because I just love Kid/Maka smut way too much. Please continue to be as pervy as you want - I like it ;)

**Slenderkatt:** Yeah, Maka's just a little mushpot right now. It makes me nauseous.

**Wordfiend:** You are devious, demented and possibly dangerous. I like that in a person!


	36. We're Family

**A/N:** A little bit of reaction and some interpersonal dynamics from the family over at The Gallows. I don't know why, but I love writing scenes between Lord Death and Liz/Patty. I could do a whole short story just about those three and how Kid brought them all together.

Thanks to **s2Coracions2** and **Xenohawk** for encouraging my inner perv and giving me plot bunnies, respectively!

**We're Family**

Patty was frightened when she woke, but couldn't remember why. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and waiting for her memory to kick in. When it did, she felt kind of like crying. Their Kiddo was sick. And he didn't think he was in love with Maka anymore, which was even worse. He'd been so happy lately; it just wasn't _fair_.

She still felt funny from the big explosion of crazy and whatever they'd given her afterward to make her sleep. She'd woken up for a while and even though she'd been upset when she found out what had happened to Kid, she'd just had to take another nap.

At the foot of her bed, Liz was asleep in all of her clothes. Her sister had cried herself just about sick when Patty woke up the first time. Cried so much it was scary. Patty was afraid she was going to die, or throw up or something. When she was sure Patty was really all right, Liz finally fell asleep, and then Patty had felt okay about going back out too.

Now she wanted to see Kid. She tried to sneak out of bed, but Liz was laying on her feet and woke up when Patty moved them.

"Wha's goin' on?" she slurred, "Are y'okay?"

"I'm fine. I feel pretty good now. I'm going to go visit Kiddo."

Liz sat up groggily. "I'll go with you."

"I don't think you should, Sis. I think you're too tired."

"No, I can go. I want to." Liz stumbled down the hallway beside Patty, shaking her head to clear it. "Wait. Before we go in there."

Patty stopped and turned toward one of the big windows in the upstairs foyer. The moonlight looked like silver on her hair and threw the rest of her into ominous shadow.

"You're going to remind me not to get close to him. Not to listen to anything he says. All that stuff you told me before. All that _crap_. Well, I'm not just going to watch him go bonkers. If somebody doesn't stop it, pretty soon he'll be crazy forever, and we're _not_ going to let that happen."

"He's already crazy. This is something different, Patty. It's like one of his bad freakouts, but raised to the hundredth power."

Patty looked back over her shoulder, "What's the hundredth power?"

Her sister paused for a moment. "Huh. Guess I must have accidentally paid attention in math last Wednesday. Anyway...it means a lot. A huge, huge lot."

"Well, we've always been able to help fix it before. And Maka did even better. If we could just get her to do that again, Kid would be alright." Patty headed down the hallway to Kid's room with new determination.

Liz sighed sadly, "He'd kill her before she got close enough. You didn't see him Patty. Lord Death almost couldn't hold him down."

Patty gritted her teeth in frustration. "Well this sucks! It just _sucks_!" she growled, marching through Kid's bedroom door. Lord Death was sitting on the edge of his son's bed and turned abruptly when Patty burst in.

"You're right, Patty, it does suck." he said softly, "Are you feeling better?"

"Well, I don't feel like screaming and laughing anymore. And I got a lot of sleep. Is Kiddo going to be okay?" She sat on the floor beside the bed and peeked over the edge. Immobilized, he lay there, dead silent and staring at them with burning, hate-filled skull eyes. Patty had never seen anything so scary in her entire life.

"I sure hope so." Death's voice was so soft and sad that Patty couldn't stand it. She threw her arms around his shins and rested her cheek on his knee.

"Don't be sad, Daddy Death. We'll fix him. We'll all do it together."

"We'll try, honey." the older Reaper stroked the girl's hair with one hand and held the other out to Liz. "You come here, too. You've been through hell today."

Liz crawled up on the foot of the bed and leaned against him.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. About not having any hope, and about him not trusting you. It's none of my business what you tell him about her. I just don't want either one of you to be so unhappy."

He put his free arm around her. "Liz, you were right. I do the best I can, but my best isn't always that good."

"We're all doing as good as we can. Which isn't saying a whole lot for this family, but I'm not complaining. Patty and I are happy to be in a family. Even a crazy one."


	37. Fighting Mad

**A/N:**I've promised many people that there will, indeed be more lemon coming up, and I started writing the next one this evening. Sadly, some plot stuff has to get done first! The we'll plant that lemon tree :) First we've got to get Maka back in the game. She's been a mushpot lately, but Maka sometimes does that. Remember the depression and insomnia over Crona in the manag/anime? Happily, we're all done with Sad!Maka for now.

Thanks to everyone who's reading - love you guys! Individual responses at the end of the chapter :)

**Fighting Mad**

Maka was exhausted and in pain, on top of being miserable about Kid. She looked like crap, and Soul knew for a fact she hadn't slept all night. She'd been sitting in front of the TV when he went to bed and she was still there when he got up, staring mindlessly at an infomercial for a device that promised to easily unload the bed of her pickup truck for just four easy installments of $19.95.

"You don't have a pickup truck, and if you did I know you wouldn't have any trouble unloading it by yourself." he joked, turning the TV off. He didn't get a smile back. Not even a little one.

"Com'on, I'll make you breakfast. You've got to eat something."

She looked up at him and sighed.

"I'm just not all that hungry. I'm sorry."

Soul sat down beside her and put an arm across her hunched shoulders. It took a moment, but she finally leaned her brittle body against him and rested her cheek against his chest.

"It's the waiting that's getting to you, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"It's freaking me out too."

"I just want to see him." Maka hated the whiny sound of her own voice. She wasn't used to being weak and needy. And that's how she was letting everyone treat her: like a poor, helpless victim. Hell, that's how she was treating _herself_ if she wanted to be honest about it. All of a sudden she was furious.

"You know what?" she jumped off the couch, wincing in pain, "I hate this. _I hate this_!"

"Whoa!" Soul held up his hands in alarm, "What's wrong now?"

I'm sick of acting like some sad, weak little girl." she told him, "I'm sick of moping around here waiting for somebody to tell me what I can and can't do. I'm going over there and I'm going to help Kid if I can, and if anybody tries to stop me, I'm going to kick them in the ass!"

Soul gave her a dry look, "Even if it's Lord Death?"

"I said anybody, didn't I?" She narrowed her green eyes at him, daring him to tell her she couldn't boot God in the butt.

"Don't you think it's kind of rude to barge into somebody else's house at eight in the morning when they've probably been up all night?"

Maka thought about it for a minute.

"Is Black Star still over there?"

"As far as I know. Tsubaki called and said they were staying so Black Star could help watch Kid."

"Then they're awake, trust me." she grabbed her keys off of the hook by the door and headed out, looking determined as only Maka could look. A rush of relief left a grin on Soul's face. Maka was back.

"You realize you're still in your pajamas, right?" he asked, feeling happy as hell.

"Don't care." her disembodied voice said from the hallway. Soul was glad she couldn't see his face. She hated it when he laughed at her.

"Hang on, I'm coming with you." He slid his shoes on, "If you try to kick Lord Death's ass, I don't want to miss it."

**Responses!**

**MusingReaper **\- Thank you so very much! It's always reassuring to know that someone thinks I'm on the right track and not taking everyone too much out of character!

**Courage-Earthworm'8**\- What would I do without your PMs and reviews? Thank you so much for all the discussion, help and encouragement! And I love your new fic!

**3rYn **\- I'm so glad you like it. Thanks so much for the positive vibes :)

**s2Coracions2 **\- Oh, yes, there will be lemons just as soon as we get Kid to stop being homicidal!

**Wordfiend **\- after that plot bunny, you *deserve* to be scared! This story is going to turn into a _series_ if you don't stop! I'm glad I got the sense of loss across there. That sense of something missing was what I wanted after Lord Death's scene in the last chapter.


	38. Maka's Plan

**A/N**\- Maka's back in action! This is a super short chapter, but I could just see it happening, so I had to write it

Thanks again to the readers and reviewers - you are wonderful! Extra big thanks to **Courage-Earthworm'8**, **Wordfiend**, **3rYn**, and **MusingReaper** :)

**Maka's Plan**

Black Star didn't look a bit surprised when Maka blasted down the hallway toward him with Soul and a very distressed downstairs maid in tow. The maid was trying very unsuccessfully to tell Maka she couldn't go upstairs, while Maka very successfully ignored her.

"What took you so long?" Black Star tucked his arms behind his head and grinned at her. "I knew you'd get over the wimpy chick thing, but I thought it'd be a lot sooner. You're getting soft."

Maka glared down at him as he lounged against the doorjamb outside of Kid's room.

"You're blocking the door."

"I know. I'm supposed to keep him in, and you out. Nice PJs, by the way."

"Are you going to let me in or not?"

"Sure."

"Get out of the way, then!"

Black Star didn't move a muscle, "Not until you tell me what the plan is."

"Wait, you're assuming there's a plan?" Soul asked.

Maka favored him with a sour look. "It just so happens that there is a plan."

"Oh, really? Since when?"

"I figured it out on the way over here."

"Well," said Black Star, "Lay it on us, then."

"I'm going to need Tsubaki. Liz and Patty too. This is going to take all of us. And I need some buckets."

Soul looked at her like she'd finally and completely lost it.

"Buckets?"

"Yeah, a couple of really big ones."


	39. Last Ditch Effort

**A/N:** Here goes: the beginning of the end. Sort of. Much love to everyone who's reading, reviewing and following *HUGS* Individual responses are at the end of the chapter!

**Last Ditch Effort**

"Okay, let's go over this one more time. We're only going to have one shot at this and we can't make a mistake." Maka looked around at the group, fiercely determined.

"This whole thing is going to be a mistake if we get caught." Soul muttered, looking around. They'd managed to convince the maid not to squeal on them, but he figured it was just a matter of time before one of the adults showed up to check on Kid.

"Then let's quit talking about and go do it." Black Star rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"We're gonna have to move fast." Patty said, "Really fast. He already knows we're out here. When I open the door, everybody run." She hoisted up a big blue plastic bucket of water. Soul picked up the second one.

"I still don't get this part." he groused.

"I told you, water amplifies wavelengths." Maka told him. Behind her, Black Star nodded his confirmation, "When we hit him, it'll be twice as strong because there won't be as much natural resistance."

"Are you ready for this?" Liz asked, putting a hand on Maka's shoulder, " Just remember, it's not really him. You have to remember that."

"On the count of three," Patty grabbed the doorknob, "One...two...threeeeee!" She slammed the door open and led the charge.

"Filth. Squishy, soft little humans. You need to be erased." the voice was Kid's, but at the same time, utterly foreign. Maka felt her scalp crinkle in fear. Kid was bound by some unseen force, writhing on the bed with wild, glowing eyes.

Only two nights ago he'd been writhing on that bed for a wholly different reason, wrapped in her arms. And now...

"You. I'm soooo glad you're finally here." Kid told her mockingly, "Time for you to die. You hurt me and now I'm going to hurt you back. I'm going to enjoy crushing that pretty little Grigori -"

"Black Star..._biiiig wave!_" Black Star and Patty struck at the same time. She dumped her bucket of water on Kid and stood back. Black Star threw every ounce of energy he had into his soul menace strike and kept it going. The minute Kid took the hit, Patty slammed a pillow over his face and threw herself on top of it.

"Okay, he can't bite...Liz get his legs, get his legs!" she hollered. Kid was bound by Lord Death's spell, but nobody knew what was going to happen when they set the next part of the plan in motion.

"Go, Maka!" Soul vaulted up behind his partner and upended the second bucket of water over her head, giving the bed and everyone in it a second drenching. She looked over her shoulder at him through dripping hair.

"Whatever happens, don't come in after me, Soul. You won't be able to handle the madness and I'm not going to have anything to spare."

"I won't. Now GO!"

Kneeling beside Black Star, her hand on his arm, Tsubaki piggybacked her enchanted sword into Black Star's soul menace and punched a hole right through the death magic encapsulating Kid. Her wavelength amplified by Soul, Maka closed her eyes and threw her mind headlong into the gap.

**Responses**

**MusingReaper **and **XenoHawk** \- I hope this is as awesome and popcorn-worthy as you expect it to be! **Stella Purple** and **1jodyy**, thanks so much for reading and liking it so far! **Courage-Earthworm'8** and **Wordfiend** \- thanks for letting me bounce sequel ideas off of you guys!


	40. Love and Death

**A/N:** Into the abyss of Kid's crazy, we go!

Thanks so much for sticking with this, you guys :)

**Love and Death**

Nothing could have prepared her for the thick, suffocating madness. The hate, the disjointed thoughts of utter destruction, the pain. She kept her Grigori and healing wavelengths at full strength, pushing herself to the brink and pulling power from Soul to keep them going. Kid was pushing back, trying to snuff her out like an unwanted candle. That's what she felt like; a lone candle burning in pure darkness, and she couldn't let the flame go out.

Finally, she fought her way through and saw it, gasping in horror. Kid's soul, his beautiful soul, was _black,_ mottled with burning red and crackling with overwhelming energy.

"Get out!" she heard him hiss as another wave of pure hatred tried to crush her.

"I won't." she forged ahead, refusing to slow down, "I love you, Kid."

"Are you going to love me when I peel you apart, layer by layer while you watch? I think I'll start with your eyelids. Then you won't be _able_ to look away."

Maka shuddered, her concentration faltering as she realized just how badly he wanted to hurt her. It finally dawned on her that even if she saved him, his love for her could be completely eradicated. She stopped herself short; she couldn't think that way. She couldn't lose it now, or it was all over, probably for both of them. She forced her combined wavelengths at the terrifying, burning soul.

"I love you! No matter what, I'm never going to leave you and I will always love you!" She was within distance now and without hesitating, she flung both arms around his burning soul and held on for dear life.

It hurt. Oh, hell did it hurt! Maka felt her own soul twist in agony as she poured herself into the wave of Kid's madness. He fought her violently, and she felt her consciousness begin to waver under the onslaught. She needed more power.

"GET OUT!" Kid's mad onslaught cut through her like a razor.

"Soul, I need a chain resonance, now!" she gasped, hoping he could hear her. She seemed so lost, so far away from everything that was good and safe and sane. But still she held on. Somehow, she held on. She had to.

Then the resonance energy began to pour through her link with Soul. Even with the distance she was keeping between them, it was strong. Fired with friendship, and love and trust from the five people waiting anxiously for them on the other side.

"I won't let you go, Kid. I love you. I'm not going anywhere." she cried, gasping through the pain. "You promised me forever. You come back to me. You come back to me _now_!"

She funneled her wavelength, amped to stratospheric heights by a chain resonance with reduced resistance and no physical drain, straight into his soul. She found a weak place and pushed right through, channeling the healing power to the core of his being.

The crackling energy was the first to fade. Then the swirling black and red crust began to fall away. She could see his soul beneath it, weak, but still there.

"It's working,!" she screamed, trying to make herself heard over the faint link, "He's coming back." she pushed at the crumbling shell, the mad, evil threats fading as she did. And then, finally, she heard his voice.

"Maka..." it was faltering and weak, but it was Kid. Her Kid. And he was reaching out to her.

"I'm here." she cried, "I'm here." She brushed the last bits of madness away and they fell into nothingness. Except the weak spot that she'd penetrated through. It remained a strange, dark spot, and no matter how hard she concentrated on it, she could not get it off. It looked different, scarred and deep, and it took her a stunned minute to realize that it was a hole. There was a piece missing and it had obviously been missing for a long time.

This was why madness was able to push so far into Kid; that deep, vulnerable spot. A spot he'd left unprotected to help her rescue Soul. If she couldn't fix it, the madness might take him again, and Maka wasn't going to stand for that. She placed her hands on either side of the little hole and rested her forehead against it.

"Maka, what are you doing?" she felt Kid protesting, pulling away.

"Loving you. All of you, even the parts that are broken." and she pressed her lips to the burnt scar, glowing white hot with all the power she and the rest of the team had mustered. There was a crackle, a spark of energy, and Maka realized it was coming from inside her. The crackling turned into a deep tearing noise and her vision whited out as she began to burn. She held on, screaming in agony.

"Get out of here, Maka!" she faintly heard Kid's frantic voice from a million miles away.

"Can't..."

"Yes, you can. Hold on, we're going back out together." and Maka felt a warmth, a tenderness enveloping her. Then there was a terrible pressure and the resonance link broke. She fell back into her body, still screaming as she tried to escape the stunning pain that ripped through her. She fell off the bed and hit the wet floor before anybody could catch her. Her cracked ribs broke on the impact and her screams intensified.

The bedroom door slammed open so hard that the enormous room shook, and a tall, cloaked man burst in. His mask was an object of utter terror, and everyone shrank back.

"Oh, hell!" he exclaimed as he scooped Maka's half-conscious body up into a sitting position, "What have you done?"

Behind him, Marie Mjolnir burst into tears and even Stein looked rattled.

Kid was struggling to get Patty off of him.

"Let go! You're suffocating me!" he mumbled, "Why am I wet? Where's Maka? What's going on? What the hell is the matter with you, Patty?" he batted weakly at her, trying to break free.

"Watch out!" Liz yelled, but Patty started laughing.

"It's okay! It's him, the real him!" she sat up, hugging the dripping pillow in glee. Kid looked around wildly. At Soul, sitting on his legs. At Black Star and Tsubaki, pressing on his chest, at Liz, crying while she held onto his ankles for dear life. And finally at Maka, wailing in pain in his father's arms.

"Let me up. Please. I need to get up!" Kid begged and his friends slid off of him one by one, too exhausted to fight. He clawed his way out of bed and stumbled on trembling legs. His head was swimming and he felt so very strange. Stein caught him and lowered him to the ground beside his father.

"Kiiiiid" Maka wailed through gritted teeth, straining against Lord Death's arms.

"I'm here, Maka, I'm here. What's going on, Dad? What's wrong?" he begged, reaching out a shaking hand. Her screams had stopped, replaced by a harsh panting, and her eyes had rolled up into her head. Shaking off his shock-induced paralysis, Soul crashed down beside Kid.

"What's happening to her?" Soul attempted a resonance link and fell face first on the floor, crying out in pain. "What the fuck? Holy shit, that hurt." he gasped, grasping at his chest. Liz jumped down and supported him while Stein checked for injuries.

"Dad, tell me what's going on!" Kid shouted. Lord Death looked down at Maka and his mask melted back into its usual form. Somehow it managed to look sadly gentle.

"Oh you poor, brave girl. What have you done?" he repeated softly. He looked up and touched his son's head, trembling. "She's brought you back to me, to all of us, but she tore a piece out of her own soul to do it."

**Responses**

**8Guest8 **\- I'm so grateful that you like what you're reading here :)

**XenoHawk **\- I'm so glad you think the concept is interesting! I know this story took a turn for the darker, so I'm glad it still seems good.

**Courage-Earthworm'8** and **Wordfiend** \- thanks for your concrit on the falling action and the next story off of you guys!


	41. The Man Behind the Mask

**A/N:** I've been re-writing the falling action. I was meandering, which I absolutely hate in stories. Developing the repercussions of Maka's action might be part of the plot for the sequel. I'm up to about 44 chapters now and I think seeing stories will mega-chapters scares a lot of readers off.

For those of you who are sticking with this as readers and reviewers, I'm so very grateful to all of you! HUGS

**The Man Behind the Mask**

Maka woke up, convinced that she was still burning. She cried out in fear, before slowly realizing that she was no longer in excruciating pain. She opened her eyes, squinting against the sun streaming into the room. It hurt when she tried to breathe, but that was nothing compared to the terrifying agony she'd experienced earlier.

"Ah, there you are!" Professor Stein's face swam into view, "How do you feel, Maka?"

She thought about it for a moment, trying to unscramble her brains.

"I feel...weird." It wasn't an adequate explanation for how she felt, but she was too tired to try to put it all into words. She sat up slowly, taking in her unfamiliar surroundings. She assumed she was still at The Gallows. A guest room, probably. He father hovered behind Stein, looking worried to death.

"Maka! Are you okay? Papa's here!" he exclaimed, pushing Stein aside and giving her a bone-crushing hug. She squealed in pain, finally realizing why it was so hard to breathe.

"I can see that, Papa. And feel it - you're hurting my ribs! Where's Kid? Is he okay?" she asked Professor Stein. She peered at him past Spirit, who had exchanged squeezing her for petting the back of her hair. Maka had to admit it felt kind of nice.

"He's sleeping. So far he seems okay, it'll be very interesting to see how he does." Stein sounded delighted by the prospect of the experiment; he and Kid had never really liked each other. The scientist's tone softened and he patted the top of Maka's damp head. "You, on the other hand, are lucky to even be with us. I really wish you kids would lay off on the shenanigans. You're going to give Marie a nervous breakdown. She's okay, but I sent her home to rest."

"Before you ask, everybody else is fine, too. They're downstairs, getting something to eat." Spirit finally let go of Maka and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. Maka fell back on the pillow, wheezing and feeling more exhausted than she'd ever been in her entire life.

"I'm sure Maka could use a little something herself! Shouldn't attempt things like that on an empty stomach!" Lord Death said cheerfully, from the doorway, "How's the patient, Doctor Stein?"

He was cloaked, but still in his human form. Maka thought she should be shocked by it, or at least interested, but she couldn't work up the energy to give a damn.

"You tell me. Your soul perception is much better than mine." Stein replied evasively, stepping away from the bed. Lord Death took his place and stood looking down at the girl, his head cocked to one side.

"You look...stable" he finally said.

That didn't seem entirely reassuring, but everybody knew that was all they were going to get out of the Reaper.

"But what's happening?" Maka asked him, "Can you tell me?"

"Sure. But hang on for just a minute." Lord Death turned to Spirit and Stein, "Why don't you two go downstairs and have a cup of coffee. I want to talk to Maka alone for a minute."

When the two men were safely out of earshot, he leaned down and took one of her hands in his. It was a human hand, warm and dry in Maka's. She looked at it for a moment, then leaned over and peered over the edge of the bed.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, sounding confused. His voice was attractive, nothing like the high-pitched sing-song Maka was used to.

"Feet."

"Feet?"

"You have people hands, so I don't think I'm talking to the puppet. If you have feet, you're somewhere on the human-looking side of the Aspect scale, right?" she asked timidly.

"Leave it to you to have a formula for it." They looked at each other for a moment and then Lord Death dissolved the rest of his Reaper aspect and let Maka see his face. He was older, and a little more rugged-looking than his son but Kid hadn't been joking when he said he looked like his father. Maka's eyes widened in surprise and he smiled at her.

"Kiddo told me he spilled the beans, so what the hell. Besides, you're practically family. Especially now. And this is something I want to say to you face to face." He gave her a long, deep look.

"You gave me my son back, Maka. You were foolhardy, and your entire team risked another dangerous experiment, but it worked. Kid is himself again, and I'm very, very grateful. But you paid a price that you shouldn't have."

"Saving him was worth everything to me." she protested, flushing with embarrassment. This was, after all, not only her boss and the Lord of Death, but her boyfriend's _father_.

"You saved him, and more. Kid's been carrying around that old wound for a long time. You didn't have to fix that."

" I wanted to. It was my choice." she said stubbornly.

He was silent for a moment, and Maka was afraid she'd made him angry. When he spoke, however, his voice was gentle.

"But you gave up a piece of your own soul to do it. Nobody knows what the ramifications of that will be."

Maka felt a thrill of fear shoot down her spine.

"Am I going to die?"

"No, I wouldn't think so. But I have no way of knowing what the side effects are going to be. You're going to have to go back into everything slowly. I know that's hard for you, but pushing this without seeing if there are any limitations could put your entire team in harm's way. No resonating or team workouts unless you have Professor Stein or I present."

"I'll be careful. I promise."

"Good girl." Lord Death gave her cheek a little pat.

"I'd like to see Kid. Are you sure he's okay?" she felt terribly awkward about asking and kept her eyes on her fingers, which were twisting nervously in the bedcovers.

"He seems okay too, for someone who's just had a...a..." Lord Death struggled to find a name for what Maka had done, "A soul transplant? Yes, I suppose that's what you did. And like any other transplant, we just have to wait and see if it will take. What does your soul perception tell you?"

Maka automatically opened up her soul perception, and then fell back against his arm. Looking at Kid's soul felt like being hit with a bolt of electricity.

Lord Death nodded, "Well, that's proved at least one hypothesis. I think you're going to have a much stronger connection to Kid from now on. It'll be interesting to see what happens when you attempt a resonance link." He lifted her chin with his finger and gave her a stern look. "Not that I want you to even think about that. I can't tell you how serious I am. No resonating with Kid until we get a better handle on this. And not just for Spartoi. No resonating with each other for any...ummm...personal reasons, either."

He finished the lecture with a huge, warm smile, "Now let's go get you something to eat!"

Maka was quivery and her stomach was lurching. She felt like she might faint on the spot, but honestly couldn't tell if her symptoms were a result of her attempt at soul perception or by Lord Death pretty much telling her he knew she'd screwed his son.

**Responses!**

**badwolfspriness** \- Thanks so much for the review - hope you liked this chapter!

**8Guest **\- Thank you for the love!

**Evito** \- I appreciate your complements so much. I'm already planning a sequel to fix the enormous plot bunny that jumped out in Chapter 40!

**XenoHawk** \- That plot twist freaked me out a little when it popped out. Now I have to *do* something with it...yikes!

**Courage-Earthworm'8** and **Wordfiend** \- thank you for the PM convos - I'll have more ideas to bounce off you guys if you're up for it!


	42. Apology

**A/N:** I've scrapped chapters 43-45 because they felt flat and forced and need some serious re-organizing. I promise this won't become one of those abandoned projects, but I don't want all of you wonderful readers to stick with me for 40+ chapters and then find the ending a poorly executed yawn-fest. On the bright side, there will be lemons:) I should have at least one new chapter ready by Sunday, at the latest!

**Apology**

Maka's arrival in the dining room on Lord Death's cloaked arm caused a sensation. Soul shot of his chair and she went to hug him, wincing as her body made contact with his. He didn't say anything, and he didn't need to. At times like these, they'd never needed words.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Liz exploded. Everyone jumped about three inches, including Lord Death. Maka looked at her over Soul's shoulder.

"Um...I was hungry?"

"They didn't even give you anything dry to put on? Liz looked accusingly at Stein, Spirit and Lord Death "What is the _matter_ with you?"

She shared a disgusted glance with the housekeeper, and they both rolled their eyes.

"They're men, that's what." the housekeeper said, sliding another stack of pancakes onto Patty's plate. The others had all been picking at the enormous breakfast the cook had produced, but Black Star and Patty were going to town.

"Come on, back upstairs." Liz ordered, pointing at the ceiling.

"Honestly, it's okay." Maka held up her hands in protest. She was appalled to see that they were shaking. Come to think of it, so were her legs. She steadied herself against Soul, but it didn't help much. She was also a little dizzy, but she had something to say and she was going to get it out before she keeled over or collapsed.

"I want to apologize for what I did." she said, slowly looking around the table at each member of her team. Her _family_. "It was selfish of me to worry about Kid and myself without thinking about what it might do to our team. Might do to the DWMA if I put us out of commission."

"But we all would have done it." Patty said, sounding confused, "We all would help fix each other. Wouldn't we?" she looked at Liz for confirmation. Her sister nodded.

"Damn right we would!" Black Star pounded his fist on the table and everyone scrambled to secure their plates and cups. The housekeeper, used to Black Star, simply started wiping up the spilled coffee without comment.

"We'll figure it out," Soul sounded like he was daring anybody to contradict him, "We're gonna be fine."

"Once Maka's soul gets over the shock, I'm hoping it will stabilize and then we can see what we're dealing with." Professor Stein told them, "Until then, there's no use in worrying about it. Anything could happen in the meantime, so like I've told you, no individual resonating and definitely no chain resonance. You saw what happened to Soul when he tried."

"It was like being electrocuted, only from the inside." Soul felt Maka stiffen and she made a little sound of dismay when he said it. The distress only served to make her wobblier.

"Dude, you're gonna fall down." Soul looked her over, cataloging her injuries in his head, "And you're so messed up I don't even know where to grab you if I have to catch you."

"Do we need to carry you back up?" Liz asked gently, going to help support her.

"I'll do it!" Black Star announced, dashing around the table, "Don't eat all the bacon while I'm gone, Patty."

Soul waved him back, "No way. I'm her partner; I'll carry her."

"No you will not!" Spirit ran over, looking outraged, "I'm her Papa and if she needs to be carried I'll do it!"

"Nobody's carrying me!" Maka yelled, and the room fell silent, "I walked down here and I'm damn well going to walk back up again. _Alone_." She forced her legs to move and carry her toward the stairs. She might have to crawl up them when she got there but no way in hell was she going let everybody see her doing it.

"I'll be up in a minute. We'll get you all fixed up." Liz knew Maka wanted her privacy and tried to distract everyone else. She asked Black Star to get Kim Diehl, and sent Spirit along to ensure that Kim wasn't retrieved _too_ forcefully.

"I'll bring up some breakfast for Maka, if I can borrow a tray, please." Tsubaki offered. She looked over at the housekeeper, who beamed at her and bustled off to get one.

"What should I do?" Soul had gulped down the last of his coffee and was ready for action.

"Can you go grab some clean clothes for her? Something pretty and comfortable." Liz knew that Maka was going to want to look nice when she finally got to see Kid. She also knew that unless she wanted to give her little brother a one-way ticket back to Crazy Town she'd better keep her undies off of his girlfriend.

"What does that even mean?" Soul looked aggrieved, "Pajamas, or sweats, or what? I'm a guy, I need better directions than that."

"Well, at least you admit it," Liz smiled at him, "Patty, will you go with Soul and help him out when you're done eating?"

"Sure thing, sis!" Patty saluted her sister, talking around a huge mouthful of pancake.

Satisfied that Lord Death and Professor Stein could amuse themselves with figuring out the whole ripping-out-chunks-of-soul problem, Liz headed upstairs, mentally rubbing her hands. Maka might have some pieces missing on the inside, but her outside was going to look like a million bucks when Liz got through with her.

**Responses!**

**MischeviousWriter:** I HATE the idea that the only way KiMa could exist is for Soul to be a cheating, lying, abusive bastard. I personally can't see Soul and Maka together romantically, but they would die for each other. Soul would never hurt or betray Maka in a million years. I promise more cute Kid 'n' Maka interaction, but only if you promise not to fall and hurt yourself!

**Courage-Earthworm'8:** just figured that if he was going to take the mask off around Maka, it would be at the point that he was thanking her for saving his son's life and keeping him from ever going crazy again. He seriously wants Maka to stick around, too!

**The Butterfly Dreamer:** Thank you so much - I'm glad you liked it, since that was one of the chapters I completely dismembered and re-wrote. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, so I'm feeling relieved right now :)

**XenoHawk:** Lord Death is such an arbitrary goofball - I love him to pieces. I can just see him all "You banged my son, now let's go eat some eggs."

**Wordfiend:** Yep. That was Maka's safe-sex lecture, Lord Death Style :) There will definitely be more Lord Death in the sequel!


	43. Reunion

**A/N:** Here's the re-worked version of Kid and Maka's post-trauma meeting. I'm a little happier with it than I was with the original version, but still feeling kind of iffy. There is a teensy bit of lime here, but the lemons won't show up until Maka's physically healed up. Can't imagine Kid putting the moves on someone who's that banged up, nor can I imagine Maka feeling up to doing much of anything with broken ribs and a bunch of other injuries.

**Reunion**

"There!" Liz gave Maka's hair one last run through with the brush and sat back to admire her work. "At least your hair looks great."

"It does." Tsubaki agreed, helping Maka get up from the dressing table where they'd parked her as soon as they'd helped her get out of the shower.

"I just wish Patty and Soul would come back with my clothes." Maka shivered in her borrowed bathrobe and carefully swung her legs up onto the bed. She felt off; uncomfortable in her own body. Like she was missing a finger, or covered in mosquito bites, but inside her head.

"I feel so weird, you guys."

"Once you get dressed you'll feel better." Tsubaki said, a little too encouragingly. Liz copied her falsely bright tone.

"And after Kim gets here you'll be beautiful again."

"I think she's beautiful right now" Kid said quietly, "No matter what she'll always be beautiful."

Maka's eyes shot to the doorway, where he stood hesitantly, as if afraid to come any closer.

"Kid!" Maka struggled up, holding her arms out. That was all the invitation Kid needed. He rushed to the edge of the bed and she threw her arms around him as best she could. His embrace was gentler; Liz and his father had told him she was injured, but he hadn't been expecting it to be quite so bad. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, breathing in the clean scent of her hair and quietly rejoicing in the beat of her heart against his.

"Are you okay? Do you feel alright?" she asked, looking him over a little frantically. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked a little haggard, but seemed to be himself.

"I'm fine. I feel wonderful, actually." Kid told her. He didn't ask if she was fine. He could tell she wasn't and it made him feel like crying.

There was a little click as Liz put the hairbrush down on the mirrored top of the dressing table. Kid looked up, startled by the noise.

"We're going downstairs." she told him, "I'll bring Kim up as soon as she gets here."

Kid reached a hand out to her. "Thank you. For helping me...for everything."

"I'm just glad you guys are okay." she gave his hand a little squeeze and ruffled his hair before she followed Tsubaki out the door. When it closed behind her, Kid sat back and gave Maka's bruised cheek the softest of strokes.

"Did I do this?" he asked, feeling his eyes start to sting.

Maka had had enough tears, though. From herself _and _everybody else.

"No, the cheek was Black Star. You did the neck and the collarbone." she opened the robe a little so he could see the damage. Best to tackle this head on, she thought. Get it all out in the open, deal with it and move on. Kid looked horrified.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't even-"

"No!" Maka interrupted him sharply, "No apologizing! Don't even go there. We all agreed to try the cross training. It was a choice and it was a bad one. If you feel guilty every time you look at me, we're never going to be okay. We'll lose each other. And we have to be okay, Kid. We have to. I won't give us up."

She was a bloody mess, Kid thought, but she had that warrior's glint in her eyes that told him she wasn't going to put up with any nonsense from him.

"You gave up part of your _soul_." he protested, "Gave it up like it was nothing. Nobody can even tell me what that's going to do to you."

"So far, nothing. I mean, I feel really strange, but your dad says I'm not going to drop dead or anything. " she gave him a little smile, "And he would know, right?"

"I suppose he would. I could tell myself, but I'm not allowed to use soul perception with you right now."

Maka felt her face flush. "Um, about that. You dad told me we couldn't resonate, either, and he made sure to tell me we couldn't do it for work or for _personal_ _reasons_. He just about came out and told me that he knows we did it."

"Yes, I got The Talk too," Kid admitted. Maka hid her face in her hands.

"I'm so embarrassed. Did he hear us? I knew I shouldn't have been so noisy, but I just couldn't help it."

"I made my share of noise too, you know. Anyway, he didn't hear us. I told you he was completely clueless; he had no idea until Patty told him."

"Patty knows? Why don't we just go ahead and take out an ad in the paper?" she groaned. Kid took her hand and patted it.

"Maka, I told you before, Dad doesn't really have an issue with it. Sex is not a big deal to someone who's been around as long as he has. He wouldn't be bothered if he did hear us. And like I also told you before, he could trip over us and probably not notice."

"Fine! I'll scream like a banshee next time we do it!"

Kid gave her a sexy grin, "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to that."

"Probably about as much as I am." she replied, returning the lascivious look. Kid reached out and touched a strand of her hair.

"I'm so glad there's going to be a next time," he admitted, trying to keep his voice even, "That neither of us is dead, or crazy. And I'm selfish enough be happy that you haven't come to your senses and left me."

Maka's eyes burned into his. "There will always be a next time for us. Always, no matter what happens. Forever, remember?"

"I really want to kiss you, but it looks like it would hurt." .

"Yeah, it would."

He settled for kissing her hand instead. It was cold and while he held it she gave another little shiver.

"You're freezing!" Kid helped her shift so that she could get under the duvet. She scooted carefully into the middle of the bed and patted the space next to him.

"Get under with me." she settled herself gingerly against him, pressing the uninjured side of her face against his chest. After a moment she sniffed appreciatively.

"You smell so good. That was one of the things I couldn't stop thinking about last night. That if you didn't come back, I'd miss your smell. I was so scared I'd never get to touch you like this again."

Kid kissed her hand again, "You saved me. I just wish you hadn't hurt yourself doing it."

"You made the choice to protect me and Soul even though you knew you had that weakness, and I made the choice to do what I did."

"So we're even then, is that it?" Kid sounded skeptical, "This is one time when even balance isn't really the issue."

She raised her head, giving him that _look_ again, "Of course it is! You risked everything for me and I risked everything for you. Neither one of us owes the other one, no guilt to tear us up. "

Kid thought about it for a minute. "I'd do it again, and so would you." he agreed, "Whatever it takes, we'll do what we have to, won't we?"

He kissed her forehead and she snuggled against him, wincing when he put his arm around her a little too tightly.

"Broken ribs." she explained regretfully when he asked, "Black Star, not you. Otherwise I'd be all over you right now."

She pulled the duvet and her robe aside to show him the huge black-and-blue mark on her side. Kid barely noticed it, since his eyes never got any lower than her chest.

"You're not wearing anything."

"Nope. Patty and Soul haven't gotten back with my stuff yet." Maka gave a little sigh as he ran his thumb over her breast.

"So you're not wearing Liz' panties?"

She gave him a happy smile. "Nope. I'm not wearing any panties at all."

Kid slipped his hand lower and groaned.

"I need you healthy now. Immediately now. What the _hell _is taking Kim so long to get here?"

**Responses!**

**REDEADED:** I can't thank you enough for the compliments. Seriously, you gave me a major boost right when I needed one most, especially since I love your writing too!

**s2Coracions2:** Of course I missed you, Perv Pal ;) And I love Lord Death more and more as I write him. I'm looking forward to exploring his character a little more!

**1jodyy:** Here's your reunion scene...at least the first part of it :)

**XenoHawk:** Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your feedback and the discussions...let me know what you think!

**Wordfiend** and **C****ourage-Earthworm'8:** Thanks for letting me bounce plot and narrative ideas off of you - you guys must be feeling like story trampolines by now! Seriously, though, I adore both of you to pieces!


	44. On The Mend

**A/N:** Lord Death and Liz are so Team KiMa ;) This is just a little transition chapter, so not much plot development - just setting things up for it. Thanks for being patient while I revise chapters, I appreciate each and every one of my readers so much!

**On The Mend**

It felt so good to take a deep breath. Maka inhaled luxuriously, almost giddy with the relief that Kim had given her by fixing her broken ribs. She couldn't wait for Kid to see that she wasn't permanently damaged. On the outside, at least.

"Feel better?" Lord Death asked, "You certainly look better." Maka touched her healed cheekbone and nodded at him

"Yes, sir."

"Knock off the "sir" stuff, will you? I hate to say it, but I'm glad we have a witch around. Kim did a great job."

Maka decided not to ask why it bothered him to admit there might be some good in witches. She didn't know him well enough to ask personal questions. Yet.

"What about my soul? I still feel strange. I've got chills and I feel woozy."

"That's exactly what the flu feels like!" said Lord Death, who'd never been sick a day in his life. He took a careful look at her with his soul perception and then turned to Stein, who was doing the same thing.

"Too early to tell what's really going on." Stein gave his screw a single forward click. The static and chaos inside Maka was hard for him to look at for too long, "Now that you're healed physically, you should have less stress on your system. I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day and we'll see if there are an changes in the morning."

"I agree."

"I can keep her in the infirmary overnight if you want" Stein offered. Lord Death waved him off.

"No, I'll keep her here. You need to be home looking after Marie. She also needs to rest. We can't let anything happen to this baby." he said firmly, "If Maka's settled down a little by tomorrow, Marie can see if there's anything she can try to heal. Do you think she might be able to stop by after school tomorrow?"

"We'll be lucky if she waits that long. I barely got her to go home this morning. If I try to keep her away much longer, I'll have to tie her to the bedpost."

When Stein said it, tying someone to a bedpost didn't sound at all kinky. Just worrisome, bordering on alarming. Lord Death got the creeps and turned back to Maka, who had a blank look on her face. When he spoke to her, she jumped a little and looked startled.

"I'm sorry, Lord Death. What did you say?" she'd been thinking about what it might be like to tie Kid to a bedpost and hoped like hell that his father couldn't read her mind.

"I said I'd like you to stay here tonight so I can keep an eye on you."

"Okay. I might need some more stuff from home, though."

"Liz already sent Patty to get your things."

Maka's apprehension about that was completely justified ten minutes later when Patty and Soul showed up with what looked like half of everything she owned. She was glad Lord Death had gone or he might think she was planning on moving in. Patty offered to do the unpacking and Soul plopped down on the edge of the bed.

"I couldn't stop her. I seriously tried, but it was like talking to a wall." Soul complained under his breath while Patty was in the closet, "She packed, like, nine pairs of shoes. How long are you planning on _staying_ here?"

He sounded a little worried and Maka gave him a little pat on the back.

"Not long enough to need nine pairs of shoes." she said soothingly, "Lord Death wants to keep an eye on me in case something goes wrong, but I think it would have already happened if it was going to."

He looked at her glumly, "Something _is_ wrong. What are we going to do if we can't resonate anymore? I can't work without you, and I'm sure as hell not working with anyone else."

"I'm sorry, Soul." Maka dropped her eyes and stared sadly at the carpet, "Lord Death and Professor Stein said they'll know more tomorrow, maybe. And Miss Marie's going to come by after school and see if she can heal anything up."

"Never mind." Soul pulled himself out of his funk. Making Maka worry wasn't going to help her get any better. "At least we got something good out of all this. Nobody has to go to school. Lord Death says we all need to take it easy for a couple of days."

"But I'm supposed to have a test in Political Science tomorrow!"

"Only you would be bummed out about that." Soul sounded disgusted with her, "Besides, you still look wiped out. You'd probably flunk it."

Maka's indignant reply was cut short when Liz appeared and came in to look her over.

"You look so much better!" she said delightedly, "Kim might be a bitch sometimes, but those healing powers are something else."

"She's not still here, is she?!" Maka wouldn't put it past Liz to say it in Kim's hearing.

"Nah, she went home. She was pissy about having to come up here twice this weekend, anyway. Black Star and Tsubaki went home, too. He was up all night and I guess even he winds down sometimes."

"All done!" Patty popped out of the closet, flushed with triumph.

"Thanks, Patty." Maka said weakly. Just thinking about taking all her stuff back home and putting it away made her feel tired. "I can get dressed now."

"We'll help you." Liz said. She looked at Soul and jerked her thumb in the direction of the hallway, "You. Out."

"Geez, you don't have to put it that way. You make it sound like I _want_ to see her naked or something." he stood up and stretched, "You going to be okay If I take off? I'm beat." he asked Maka. She nodded.

"Call me if you need anything. Or if anything happens. I'll come over tomorrow morning."

"Jesus, she's going to be fine." Liz said impatiently, "Go home and chill out for a while. Black Star says he's having everyone over tonight, and it's probably going to run late since we don't have school tomorrow. I'll give you the full Maka Report when I get there."

The minute the door shut behind Soul, Liz gave Maka a sly look. "Well, not the _full_ Maka Report ." she amended. I'm sure you're going to get up to a few things he doesn't need to know about. Patty, go pack all her bathroom stuff back up."

"What for?" Patty whined, "I just put it all away!"

"We're going to take it to Kid's room."

"Do I have to pack up all the clothes, too?"

"No, that's okay," Liz said cheerfully, "She probably won't be needing those."

**Responses!**

**REDEADED:** Black Star and Patty are the hardest characters for me to write. Patty was especially hard at first, but now I'm kind of getting into a groove with her and starting to like it. You give good Black Star. Heck, you always give good writing :) Thanks for reading and letting me know the last chapter wasn't awful. I hate it when I lose my pacing and everything feels like it's unraveling!

**LokiGirl:** Looks like Kid is going to have _three_ women in his life who like to tease his life out now! I'm sure he'll get his revenge later ;)

**Courage-Earthworm'8:** I don't think you're going to have to wait much longer!

**XenoHawk:** Maka's not going to wait too much longer for an explanation. She'll beat the story out of him if she has to.

**Wordfiend:** Glad you liked the limey flavoring. Next up is going to have lemon zest. I'm extra happy to hear that I managed to walk the line between too much and too little in the Dealing With Things department.


	45. It's Going to be Okay

**A/N:** Whew! Another chapter done. Had to wrestle with this one, but I think I got a little of the humor in and all the overly-emo crap out! Right now everybody's trying very hard to convince themselves that the worst is behind them...we shall see if it is. Next chapter is going to be lemony. Thanks so much for reading *hugs*

**It's Going To Be Okay...I Hope**

"How are Maka and Kid doing?" Tsubaki asked when she opened her door.

"So far, so good," Liz replied, handing over a plastic carrier of canapes and another containing a homemade chocolate cake. Having a live-in cook definitely had its advantages.

"They couldn't come with you?" Kilik asked, and Liz shook her head.

"Lord Death wants to keep an eye on Maka, and Kid's stuck to her like glue."

Kim gave a little sniff, "Oh, now he's going to play devoted boyfriend? After he beat the crap out of her like that? Jerk." she'd never quite forgiven Kid for being the richest, hottest guy in school and having no interest in her whatsoever. He'd seen her _naked_ and, when all was said and done, still preferred Maka.

"He didn't beat her up!" Black Star said indignantly, "I did way more damage that he did!"

Tsubaki reminded him that wasn't a _good _thing and he muttered an apology to Soul, who had just finished calling him a few choice names.

"I should have charged by the inch for healing up all that damage." Kim folded her arms across her chest and looked mutinous. Ox paused the video game and tried to soothe his angry girlfriend, but only got glared at for his efforts.

"Give me a bill. I'll be happy to pass it along to Lord Death for you." Liz sounded airy, but there was a steely undertone.

"Never mind!" Kim flounced off to the kitchen with Jackie for a bitch session and some of Tsubaki's homemade California rolls. Black Star started the video game back on and cranked the volume up.

"So she's really doing alright?" Soul asked, pausing the game and interrupting it once again. Harvar made an "I give up" gesture and quit even trying to play.

"Yeah. Same as she was earlier." Liz said.

"I hope she's going to be okay." Tsubaki sighed, "Kid too."

"I doubt Kid could get any weirder, so he'll probably be fine." Black Star was hugely amused at his joke. Patty was not.

"He might be a weirdo, but he's at home getting laid and you're a virgin who's playing Call of Duty!" she stuck her tongue out at him. Everyone in the room was electrified.

"That's enough, Patty!" Liz yelped, "Remember when I said there was something we _weren't_ going to tell everyone?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, that was it."

Patty looked crestfallen. "Oopsie. Can everyone forget I said that?"

"No. I'll probably _never_ be able to forget it. Where's the fucking brain bleach?" Soul buried his face in his hands. All the other guys just looked jealous.

"Kid's going to kill me, isn't he?" Patty had enough experience in the pissing-Kid-off department to know what sorts of things prompted him to threaten her demise. Her sister gave her a pitying look.

"You'd just better hope that Grigori soul implant mellows him out. A _lot_."

"None of that is important." Tsubaki was determined to steer the conversation away from gossip about poor Maka's sex life, "What's important is that Kid and Maka are better and that everything goes back to normal soon."

Soul's Little Demon just cackled at that. _Sure. And what if things don't go back to normal? Then what are you going to do? You're no good without her._

Soul knew it wasn't the truth. He was a Death Scythe, and a pretty damn powerful one at that. But a lot of that power came from his bond with Maka. He could function on his own, he just didn't _want _to. Ever. He was worried about Maka, too. If she lost her ability to lead their team it would eat her up inside until there was nothing left. She had the brains to do anything she wanted, but she'd never be happy again if she couldn't go kick ass on a regular basis.

Tsubaki seemed to be reading his thoughts.

"Maka will be miserable if she can't run our team resonance. We all will." she gave Black Star a warning look that told him not to say a word about superior personal skills or about being able to lead the team better than Maka ever could.

"If we have to break the team up Maka and Kid won't ever forgive themselves." Liz said anxiously. The sheer amount of worrying she'd done over the weekend suddenly took its toll and she felt tears sting her eyes. Tsubaki put down the Tupperware containers and hurried over with a box of tissues. Soul jumped up and gave Liz his seat on the couch. They locked eyes for a long moment, two weapons who were going to be affected in every way if there was permanent damage to the technicians they considered family. Liz started to cry in earnest and Soul gave her a fierce hug.

"It's going to be okay." he said into her hair, "It_ has_ to be."

Over at The Gallows, Kid was having similar thoughts.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked Maka for the fourth time in twenty minutes. She leaned across the table and patted his hand.

"I feel better, really. Don't I look better?"

"You look gorgeous. I just wish I could see your soul and make sure it's okay. What does it feel like to you? Stable?"

"It's hard to say, but I don't think I'm about to lose my marbles if that's what you're asking." she sat back and picked up her fork. Assuming she wouldn't be up to dressing and coming downstairs, Lord Death had sent dinner up to Kid's study. Finally being out of pain had perked Maka up considerably and she was absolutely starving. And, if she was being honest with herself, she was hungry for more than just rosemary chicken and gratin dauphinoise.

"I suppose that is what I'm asking," Kid pushed his green beans around on his plate, aligning them into a neat row out of habit, "I had that hole in my soul for a long time, and it never did anything good for me. I can't imagine it's going to do you any favors."

"What did it feel like after it scarred over? Did it still hurt?"

"Kid thought about it for a moment, "It bothered me when I thought about it, and we all know it let a lot of crazy in. After a while I got used to it, I suppose. It changed me, but I learned to live with it."

He sounded sad and Maka felt an overwhelming urge to protect him from ever being hurt again. She finished her potatoes and went to sit on the arm of his sofa.

"Well, I'm not going to change," she promised, "I'm never going to stop loving you, and we're going to get through this. We will."

Kid pulled her down into his lap and put his arms around her.

"I love you...and I'm going to make it okay if it's the last thing I do." he promised her. He tightened his grip and looked her over, "Your mouth looks like it's all healed up."

"It is."

"So I can kiss you now?" he asked. She nodded and he gently pressed his lips to hers. The kiss quickly became heated, fueled by their desire to acknowledge their luck in making it through the ordeal of the past couple of days.

"Know what else is all healed up?" she asked when they stopped for air.

"What's that?" Kid asked, nipping at her earlobe.

"Everything." Maka told him, "Wanna see?"

"I certainly do."

She climbed off his lap and united her robe, feeling incredibly sexy as it fell to her feet and Kid's eyes widened in appreciation.

"What do you think?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

"Absolutely perfect." he said, reaching for her.

**Responses!**

**Shadow Wolf Dreamer: **I'm so glad you like it! Next couple of chapters will deal with the aftermath! Hopefully, I stay on target and answer all the questions I've raised!

Courage-Earthworm'8: You have been such a dear friend through all this. *hugs*

**REDEADED:** I appreciate our convos so much. Let me know what you think - the pacing still feels a little off to me...

**XenoHawk:** No lemon, and a lot of characters self-placating in this chapter, but they're going to start digging into all the issues in Chapter 46. You're absolutely right: Maka isn't going to wait around forever to get answers!


	46. Breaking the Rules

**A/N:** Okay, this is a lemon scene, but it does contain a major plot point, so it has _some_ redeeming qualities and actual purpose :) Maka has forced a partial resolution (although Kid honestly didn't put up much of a struggle!). I was planning a big dramatic, drawn-out resolution but realized that it was sapping the action, pacing and overall interest, so I took a soft approach. I may re-write it if it feels like a cop-out; let me know!

I'm now cross-posting this story at Archive Of Our Own, under the same title and user name.

I thank all of my readers and reviewers from the bottom of my heart. Without your responses and PMs, this wouldn't be even a quarter as much fun to write! I appreciate all of you so much_._

**Breaking the Rules**

They almost didn't make it to the bed. Neither of them cared, or even noticed, that they were still on the sofa in the study until they slid off the slippery leather and landed on the hard wooden floor. The dinner dishes rattled as the coffee table skidded backward, and a fork bounced off the back of Kid's neck. It landed beside Maka's head and spun across the floor with a clang that seemed ten time louder than it should have.

"Shhh!" she giggled. In spite of the fact that the floor was cold against her back she pulled him down and kissed him again. She felt Kid smiling against her lips.

"Why are we being quiet? You promised to scream like a banshee, if I remember correctly. "

"Make me."

"I intend to." Kid stood up, planning to sweep her off her feet and carry her to bed like a hero in one of Liz' sappy romance movies. Except the heroines in those movies never stopped in the middle of things to dig a fork out from under the couch.

"Hang on, I've almost got it!'

"We can pick it up later." he said desperately. She looked up at him, shocked and somewhat suspicious.

"Later? Won't it upset you if there's a fork under there? It's dirty and there's only one of them."

Kid glanced over the coffee table wildly, grabbed a dessert fork meant for the the cake they'd utterly ignored, and tossed it over his shoulder.

"There! Now there are two of them. All symmetrical. Let's go!" He scooped her up and spun her in a circle, making her giggle again.

"That piece of my soul must be doing you some good. Either that or you_ really_ want to have sex with me."

He stopped halfway across his bedroom floor and gave her a long, hard kiss. "Everything about you is good for me. And, yes, I really, _really_ want to have sex with you."

"There's only one problem with that." she told him as they landed on the bed together.

Kid sat up immediately, "What's wrong? Aren't you feeling okay?" he asked, tenderly brushing her hair away from her face. He felt a pang of fear and realized just how deeply terrified he was that she might not be all right in the long run. That he might still lose her. Maka saw the look on his face and sat up too.

"I'm fine. I promise." She told him, cupping his chin in her hands and looking into his eyes, "If I'm not okay, I'll tell you. I've always been honest with you and I always will be. Don't ever worry that I'm hiding things from you."

"Then...then what's the problem?" he asked faintly, as she slid his unbuttoned shirt off and pushed him down.

"The problem is that you're still wearing too much." she said, yanking his belt open. Ten seconds later his clothes were on the floor and she was pulling him on top of her. Even without their soul perception they knew each other's desperate need to connect, to reassure themselves that they'd made it through the nightmarish weekend with their sanity and their love intact. The throat Kid had bruised was now covered with his kisses, the eyes that had been filled with madness were once again filled with love for her.

"Can I?" he asked breathlessly, moving against her. Maka's answer was a long, low hum of pleasure, and he felt her hand on him, guiding him forward. He went in hard and fast and she arched against him with a passionate cry. They were definitely improving, Kid thought, although he found himself wanting the resonance link badly. Without it he felt selfish, only able to experience his own feelings.

"I wish I could have all of you." Maka gasped, also feeling the loss of that extra sense. The sex was still sublime, but the touching of souls that deepened the experience was definitely a bonus that she missed.

"I want to," Kid found himself teetering on the brink of opening the link, "I want it so badly."

"Let's do it." Maka knew they weren't supposed to; knew she was breaking a rule laid down by god himself, but she felt herself slipping away, not caring. Kid was literally a part of her now. Her soul called to his, wanting that closeness as much as she wanted his fingers on her nipple; his mouth on hers, his hips rolling against her as his thrusts increased in speed and power. She thought she could use their physical tie to help reconnect their souls, that it could work between them again. Scratch that, she was going to _make_ it work. She was going to make all of it work, just like it used to.

"We shouldn't" Kid moaned, desperately trying to keep himself shielded from her, "It might hurt you."

"We'll stop if it does," she promised, "I think it'll be okay. Do it. Please, Kid!"

She was determined and he couldn't resist her. It was her body; her soul. Who was he to tell her how she could or couldn't use them?

"Just a little." he agreed, "Tell me to stop if you need to."

She buried her head against him, whimpering as his scent washed over her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in deep and heard him gasp against her ear.

"Hell, I'm so close."

"Hurry!" she gave him one last, desperate kiss and begged fate to let things be okay. _Please, please let this work._

"I love you. I love you more than anything."

"And I love you, no matter what."

They reached out at the same time, tentative little threads that started to hum with tension as they drew nearer. There was another of those almost electrical shocks as Maka eased open her soul perception, but she was ready for it this time. She buffered it with her healing wavelength, letting the power in slowly as she ctried to connect with that little piece of herself lodged securely in Kid's soul. The link started to forge, sparking violently and threatening to overwhelm her. She forced it shut and the resonance locked in. Maka felt Kid surrounding her, protecting her with a remnant of her own Grigori wavelength. It wasn't strong and his control over it was terrible, but it was enough. She responded to it, and the wavelengths combined, forcing their souls together.

They drowned in each other, merging, completely and utterly open. The mental and physical connections fed off of each other and they healed, both becoming a little more than their individual wholes. The resonance link expanded, bursting with energy, glowing like a star. Their lovemaking was becoming frantic, hitting a fevered pitch as he pounded into her and she met him stroke for stroke. The powerful connection and the relieved joy it brought with it pushed Kid to his limit. He rammed into her one last time and came so hard that he could barely stand the intensity. Over their link his climax was breathtaking, filling Maka's mind as well as her body. She was overwhelmed by its force and fell with him into utter ecstasy, screaming like a banshee just as she'd promised, until the world went dark.

"Maka!"

She heard him calling her and opened her eyes, heart pounding. Kid was looking down at her, breathing hard and looking worried. She reached up to touch his face, feeling stunned.

"What happened? Are you all right?" She only asked out of habit, using words didn't seem to be necessary any more. She could feel his emotions, sense his soul, even without the resonance link.

"_I'm_ fine. You fainted and the resonance link broke. Are you okay? I think you are...this is weird, but I feel like we're still resonating." he pressed his cheek against her palm, kissing the edge of her thumb.

She nodded, "Yeah, I know. I think I'm...perfectly fine, though. That horrible feeling I had, like I was missing a piece? It's gone now. You fixed me." Her sense of relief was even stronger than it had been after Kim repaired her physical injuries.

"We fixed each other." he amended, "How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't. It was just a gut instinct."

"Remind me to always follow your instincts." he gave her a satiated grin and leaned down to kiss her, "Especially if it means feeling like that just did."

Maka snuggled against him, stroking his hair "Do you think it's going to be like that from now on?"

"I certainly hope so." he relaxed into her embrace, sighing in contentment as her hands trailed down and scratched languid circles on his back. He hadn't felt such utter peace in years, in spite of the fact that his father was probably going to kill him when he found out what Kid had just done.

"I meant resonating together in general. If the connection is that strong, it could really cause unbalance in the chain resonance. If I can even _manage_ a chain resonance anymore."

"If anybody can do it, you can." he brushed her temple with his lips, "And If we can use it, that extra power will be an interesting addition. Who knows what we'll be able to do."

"I can't wait to try it!" Maka was on her usual post-sex high and ready to take on the world.

"Later," Kid said lazily, "I don't give a damn about anything but us right now. And maybe that chocolate cake we never got around to eating."

"What are you going to eat it with? You threw the fork on the floor, remember?" Maka's laughter shook her body against his.

"You're not going to believe this, but I still don't care!"

**Responses!**

**Shadow Wolf Dreamer:** I'm glad it didn't feel too pointless and rambly. Sometimes those group scenes can feel like they're wavering all over the place!

**Wordfiend:** Thank you for being an awesome friend. BIG HUGS

**REDEADED:** PMs from you are always a wonderful thing to find in my inbox! Thank you so, so much for doing read-throughs for me, and I'm seriously looking forward to trying a joint fic this summer :)

**XenoHawk:** Not only do you help me improve the quality and pacing for this story, but you have my back, too. Love talking with you and I hope that this piece of the resolution doesn't seem like it was too wishy-washy!

**Courage-Earthworm'8:** As always, you encourage me and make me _want_ to write!


	47. Confessions and Confections

**A/N:** I'm not totally impressed with this chapter, but I hope I managed to get Kid's story out with a minimum of wild, overblown mental anguish. I was able to work a cute little lime in at the end. I honestly don't see Kid wailing and gnashing his teeth over something that happened almost half his lifetime ago, even if it _was_ ghastly. He's always seemed like a pretty reserved guy and I thought his difficulty would be with the telling rather than the subject matter alone. Let me know what you think - I'm always up for editing when someone finds a plot hole or weakness!

Thanks again for your readership and support - both are very dear to me!

**Confessions and Confections**

Maka came into the study tying her bathrobe around her waist, and stopped at the door in shock. Kid was slouched on the sofa in his boxer shorts with one arm thrown over the back and his feet propped up on the coffee table, which was still littered with dishes and sitting askew on the area rug beneath it. His own bathrobe had been tossed haphazardly into a heap on the floor.

"What are you _doing_?" she laughed, but felt slightly taken aback. Kid was different, and she wasn't sure she liked it. It also made her worry about how different she might be now that they'd created their bond. She didn't feel changed personality-wise, but maybe Kid didn't either.

"I'm seeing what it's like to be Soul and Black Star." he replied, tipping his head back and making a "come here" gesture with his hand.

"And what's the verdict?" she asked, feeling relieved when Kid gave her a rueful grin.

"To be honest, I don't like it. I wanted to see if I could deal with the mess and the lack of symmetry now. I can, but it's just not _me_."

"Good," Maka gave him a peck on the cheek and sat down on the other end of the sofa, "'Cause if you start saying "dude" all the time and drinking straight out of the milk carton, I might have to break up with you."

Kid took his feet off the coffee table and squared it with the couch before slipping into his robe. It was made of black silk with a white skull embroidered on the breast and Maka thought he looked ridiculously handsome in it. Sighing in contentment, she stretched out and put her feet into his lap when he sat back down. Kid stroked them gently, as if even her toes were precious to him. He heaved a sigh of his own, but it sounded anything but content.

"I need to talk to you about something." he said slowly, keeping his eyes on her feet, "It's not something I want to say, but I feel that I have to."

He felt strained and serious, putting Maka on instant alert. She wanted to sit up and put her arms around him, but she could tell that he needed his space.

"You said earlier that you'd always be honest with me, and that you always tell me everything."

"I do. Kid, what's this about?"

He finally looked at her, "I haven't been honest with you. You know there are things I don't like to talk about, that it's hard for me. That's not an excuse for not telling you things and I know it. Especially now."

Maka nodded slowly, "I know. I can feel it too. It's like I'm always aware of you, like we have a permanent connection. I want you to know that I love it. I love us being a part of each other. I think I even know what you want to talk to me about."

"You do?" Kid's fingers tightened on her feet.

"About how you got that wound on your soul...and...about your mom?" she tried to keep her voice as even and as gentle as possible. Through their new link, she could feel his reticence, and tried to soothe his soul with hers. Kid nodded and dropped his gaze again.

"It's not that I don't want you to know," he said quietly, "It's that I don't want you to be afraid, and I don't want you to pity me. I've never really had anyone I wanted to talk to about it before. Liz knows most of it, because Dad told her. But like everything else he doesn't want to deal with, he never really discusses Maman with me."

"You know I won't pity you. I'm sorry you lost her, and I'm sorry about whatever happened to hurt you, but it doesn't make you pitiful." Maka said indignantly, "If you moped around all the time looking for sympathy and expecting us to tiptoe around you because of it, then you'd be pitiful. I've dealt with my mom and dad issues way worse than you have."

"Maybe not. Miss Marie says it's not good for me to keep everything to myself so much." Kid glanced over at Maka's worried face, "She used to babysit for me when I was little and my parents wanted to go off by themselves."

"I thought Lord Death couldn't leave the city!" Maka exclaimed. Was this another constant in her universe that wasn't true at all?

"He can't, but he and Maman made the best of it. They'd dance together in the ballroom, or he'd go help her in the garden in the evening. They'd read to each other for hours. She could have left, you know, but she stayed here with him as much as possible. She came home to us every night. She was his representative to the rest of the world, and did the things he couldn't, like I do now. Only nobody treated _her_ like an inconsequential child. Those Death Scythes who refused to report in when we went up against Arachne wouldn't have dared trying a stunt like that on her."

"You said she was a holy terror."

Kid nodded, "And then some. She was the loveliest person in the world unless she thought my father or I were being threatened, personally or professionally. And that's what got her in the end."

Maka felt her heart speed up, but she sat as still as possible, trying to keep his awareness of her from disrupting his narrative. His fingers were wrapped around her insteps and she could feel the triple bands of his rings pressing into her skin, but she didn't care.

"Dad always said she was sensitive, that she felt disruptive things more deeply than most of the other Reapers did, and one of Dad's enemies took advantage of it. A witch, one of Arachne's followers, decided that the best way to get revenge on Dad was to take away the things he loved most. It was just a tiny pinprick of a spell, but it was enough to let madness in." the memory made Kid feel a little shuddery, as if the room had suddenly gone ice cold. He looked over at Maka, who was staring at him with wide eyes, but was otherwise unperturbed.

"No wonder your dad hates witches so much." Maka said, because he was clearly expecting her to say _something_. He was ready to be comforted, so she held out her arms and he shifted until his head was in her lap. She ran her hand over his forehead and smoothed his hair back. Kid kissed the fingers on her other hand and held it against his cheek.

"Living here wasn't healthy for her after that. I think the low-level madness wavelength from my disgusting mistake of a brother wormed its way into her. She started obsessing about protecting me; I think she was terrified I'd end up in a bag right next to him in the basement. Everything had to be just so; she had to have complete control of everything and she watched me like a hawk. When there was outside business, I had to go with her or she wouldn't leave at all. It turned out to be a good thing in the end, because when I had to take over for her I'd already learned the ropes. It took just under a year for her to go completely crazy. I was ten."

Kid slid an arm around Maka's hips, pulling her closer to him.

"We don't know why, but she decided that the only way she could protect me was to take my soul and, I don't know, keep it safe or something. She had a...she had a little box."

Maka couldn't help it, she gave a little gasp of horror and bent over, hugging his head between her chest and her thighs. Kid continued on doggedly, refusing to let any emotion through.

"We were in her morning room when it happened. I'm just lucky we were here; Dad couldn't have saved me if we'd been outside of Death City. I don't have to tell you how much it hurts to have a piece torn out of your soul, and she tried to take the whole thing at once, from the outside in. She cried the entire time. I remember screaming, and I remember Dad running in, and that he killed her while she was holding me. There was blood everywhere, mine and hers. It was in her hair. She was wearing a white dress. It's the one thing I was never able to get past; all that blood against that stark white. just kept thinking that it would never come out, that there was nothing I'd ever be able to do to fix the mess. That I couldn't let a mess like that happen ever again."

Kid took a shuddering breath, his story almost complete.

"You have to understand, it wasn't her fault. She had no idea what she was doing, Maka. She didn't want to hurt me, she thought she was saving me, and that made it even worse. When I woke up, she was gone and so was that little piece of my soul. I learned to live without it, but, well, you saw what the consequences were. Some of her insanity got inside me - I needed to have order and control because it made me feel safe. Finally tapping into my full power gave me more freedom from it, but I'm capable of being just as crazy as she was, as you know."

Maka looked down into his golden eyes, "You're not crazy, Kid."

"Not anymore," he corrected her gently, "but that's thanks to you. You saw how deep the madness got into me. Can you imagine pure insanity controlling the kind of power a full-fledged Reaper has? I guess my dad could hardly hold me down when I went off the other day. I was afraid of something like that happening and I don't think I ever would have become a full Reaper, even during the fight on the moon, without your encouragement."

He rolled onto his back and looked up at her, "I don't think I could do anything without you now."

"You could, but you will _never_ have to find out." Maka told him fiercely, "I'm never going to leave you, and I'm never going to go crazy. Forever, remember?"

"Forever." he echoed, sitting up and kissing her. Then he wrapped his arms around her and they huddled together for a long while, just breathing and feeling the bond between them humming gently. Kid felt lighter, relieved by having gotten everything out for once. He wondered why he'd been so hesitant to tell Maka the whole story before. His habit of reticence, maybe, or the fact that he'd never told it to anyone until tonight.

"Feel better?" Maka asked, even though she already knew he did.

"Yes, I do. Really, it was just telling you that was hard. It was six, almost seven, years ago and I've accepted it. It's just a very private thing that I've never really discussed."

Kid put his arms around her waist, looking at her tenderly.

"I need you to know that you're not going to end up like Maman. You're too strong to fall prey to something like that, and I'd protect you with my life, even though you don't need me to. I promise not to hold anything back from you ever again." he told her solemnly, "You won't have to invoke the Boyfriend Rule anymore."

"Boyfriend _Rules_. Plural. There are lots more that you don't know about yet."

"Oh? Like what?" He cocked an eyebrow at her and she gave him a superior look.

"Like the one that says you shouldn't be able to look way sexier in a bathrobe than I ever will."

"That's not a rule. It's not even true!" he exclaimed, starting to smile again, "But if it bothers you, why don't you take it off? While we're at it, why don't we take yours off, too?" He was feeling giddy; as impossible as it seemed, he felt even more amazing that he had before. And in the mood again, as well.

"I thought you wanted cake." Maka exclaimed in mock protest, giggling. She already knew what he _really_ wanted.

"I do. I even picked the fork up and wiped it off." Kid pointed to the coffee table, where the rescued fork gleamed.

"You just _wiped it off_?" Maka looked a little stunned. Three days ago Kid would have _burned_ that fork for daring to be so full of floor-germs. She slung a leg over his and took his face in her hands, feeling a little anxious, "Don't go changing too much on me, okay?"

"I won't. " Kid reached between them and untied her robe, but Maka still looked serious.

"I like you just the way you've always been."

"I never said I was going to _eat_ with that fork." he teased, pulling the robe off of her shoulders.

"You implied it!" she was grinning now, playing along. Kid reached past her and used two fingers to scoop a layer of frosting off of the cake. He slipped his index finger into her mouth and felt himself go rock hard as she sucked the chocolate off of it and released it with a little humming noise.

"So what _are_ you going to eat it with?" she asked breathlessly. Kid gave her a smoldering look and spread the rest of the frosting over her nipple.

"You." he replied, lowering his head.

**Responses!**

**LucyLovesCookies:** I agree with every one of your lovely comments! Thank you for leaving them as you read :)

**ShadowWolfDreamer:** The next chapter (actually, it might be the one after than) should clear everything up in regards to Kid and Maka's soul hookup in Chatper 46. I really appreciate your support, and won't let the meanies get in the way of anything!

**REDEADED:** Waiting for your opinion on this installment - you always give great advice! Thanks for letting me bounce ideas off of you.

**Courage_Earthworm'8:** I put a little lime flavoring in here just for you :) Thanks for sticking with me, and congratulations on the latest chapter of your story; it was awesome.

**Wordfiend:** Thank you for being a great support and for your willingness to be another of my idea trampolines.

**BookandAnimeNerd:** Thank you! I hope I can keep that blend balanced and I'ms o glad you like it :)

**XenoHawk:** The term "aerobics in cargos" cracked me up! Hope you got some rest, and will like the full resolution of Chapter 46 when it finally gets written!


	48. Uncomfortable Interlude

**A/N:** This silly, silly little interlude is for Wordfiend, who wanted to see Patty busting in on Kid and Maka before the story came to an end. I've only got a couple of chapters left to do, so this was Patty's last chance to wreak havoc! There is literally no excuse or need for this pointless installment - I blame it all on encouragement, a need for some goofy fun, and half a bottle of Apothic Red. Big hug for REDEADED who did a beta reading and said it made sense to post as part of the story!

**Uncomfortable Interlude**

Something was poking him in the forehead. Kid burrowed into his pillow, but the poking didn't stop and when he opened his eyes, Patty's face was only inches from his. She was kneeling on the floor beside his bed, wearing her sock monkey pajamas and a troubled expression.

Kid jerked backward, drawing the sheet tight around his chest. Behind him, Maka shifted in her sleep and snuggled against his back. He felt her arm drape over his hip and her fingertips brushed him in a way that would have been very nice if he'd remembered to lock the damned door.

"Why aren't you wearing your pajamas? You always wear pajamas!" Patty tried to look under the sheet but Kid reached down and pulled the quilt up around his shoulders. He was pretty sure that when his mother made it for him, she hadn't been envisioning him lying under it in quite this situation.

"Patty what's wrong?" he asked wearily, feeling uncomfortable and bewildered in equal measure.

Patty squatted a little lower and folded her arms on the bed.

"I came to confess," she sighed, resting her chin on her wrists, "I did something really bad."

"How bad could it be?" Kid squinted at his alarm clock "It's only 6am. Then again ...okay, what happened?"

"Oh, I haven't done anything this morning! It was last night."

Well, she hadn't set the house on fire again then. That was a relief. Maka rolled onto her other side, which was also a relief. Facing down Patty-disaster was difficult enough without a raging hard-on to worry about.

"All right, what did you do last night?" Kid could feel the effect of Maka's soul again; a week ago he would have wanted to smother his sister with a pillow right about now.

"I sort of told everyone that you were here getting, uh, besmirched." Patty said slowly, obviously trying to choose the words least likely to get her killed.

"You did? Was that absolutely necessary, Patty?"

"Well, yeah, because Black Star said something rude."

"And the only thing you could think of to respond with was _that_?"

Patty shifted uncomfortably, "I, uh, what I actually I said was that you were home getting laid." she blurted, deciding to go ahead and make a clean breast of it.

"Well that makes it nice and clear for everyone at school, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry, Kiddo!" Patty wailed, climbing up onto the bed and throwing her arms around him, "I didn't mean to, I just got mad because Kim was being nasty and Black Star said you were weird. Oh, and Liz cried a bunch, but I don't _think_ it was because you and Maka do sex now."

Kid gave up trying to make sense of the entire thing and patted her back. The shrieking and bouncing woke Maka, who raised her head up blearily.

"What's going on?" she mumbled, "Did something happen?"

"Yes," Kid said over his shoulder, "Patty told everyone I was getting laid last night."

"Well, you _were_!" Patty said, "And all the guys were totally crushed. Except Soul. He said he needed to have his brain bleached."

Maka smiled at the thought, even though she knew her partner was going to rag on her for weeks about the mental damage he'd suffered, "I'll bet he did."

Patty stretched out next to Kid and put her head on his shoulder, "I really did you a favor, actually."

He was starting to get a headache, "And how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"Cause I totally upped your street cred. Every guy in school's gonna be hella jelly."

"I don't even know what that means." Kid said tiredly, rubbing his hand over his eyes. Patty started to explain but he interrupted her. "Why don't you tell me at breakfast?"

"You want me to leave, huh?" she asked sadly, "Am I not allowed to come in here anymore?"

"Of course you can still come in," Maka leaned up on one elbow and looked over Kid's arm, "But maybe knock first?"

Okey-dokey! Hey, Kiddo? Can we have pancakes for breakfast after I wake up?"

"You are awake. I wish you weren't, but you are. And, yes, we can have pancakes for breakfast again." Kid said, jumping a little as Maka's chest slid across his back beneath the quilt.

"We can? Two days in a row?" "

Kid nodded and Patty looked at him slyly.

"Can we go get ice cream later?"

"Sure. Fine." he replied recklessly, thinking hard about Stein's last dissection class in an effort to stave off another erection.

"And watch any movie I want?"

"Yep. Sounds great. Movie." Kid was ready to promise her damn near anything if she'd go away.

"All the getting laid sure makes you nice. Can I have a pony?"

He wasn't _that_ far gone yet. "Absolutely not."

The look got even slyer.

"Maka, can you besmirch him a few more times? I really wanna pony."

"Uhhh..." Maka looked alarmed and Kid had had enough.

"Out!" he ordered, pointing toward the door,"And close the door behind you!" Realizing that Nice Kid had left the building, Patty jumped off the bed

She stopped in the doorway, "Oh, I called Black Star a broke-ass video-game playing virgin. Does that make it any better?"

Kid thought about it for a moment, "You know, it really does, Patty. You're still not getting a pony. Now go back to bed."

The door slammed hard enough to make Maka's ears hurt and she dropped her head back onto the pillow.

"Well that was awkward." she said faintly, staring at the underside of the tester.

"It was worse for me." Kid claimed, lying down beside her.

"How do you figure? I'm the one who's going to be the official school slut by tomorrow. You're just going to have guys high-fiving you in the locker room. Totally not fair."

"Well, you slept through the part where you had your hand on my crotch and Patty tried to look under the blankets. That was fun."

Maka started to laugh hysterically, "Bet that teaches you to lock the door before bed!"

"We were a little busy having dessert on the couch, remember?"

She gave him a sultry smile, "Of course I remember. I think I still have chocolate on my neck."

"Let me see." Kid leaned over and pressed his lips to her neck, eventually working his way up to her ear.

"You wouldn't care to up my street cred a little more, would you?" he whispered.

**Responses!**

**Enecs:** Thank you! This one is drawing to a close, but I'm already planning a sequel!

**Courage-Earthworm:** I wish KiMa was canon!

**REDEADED:** Hope this chapter give you a laugh - I owe you an emotional response, since the lattest chapter of "Friendship" totally made me cry. But in a good way ;)

**Wordfiend:** You wanted, it you got it, sweet pea!


	49. Rage

**A/N:** It took some time, and REDEADED, to get me moving again, but here's the latest chapter. Coming back from a hiatus and switching those writing gears back on is always a challenge! This is Lord Death's reaction to Kid and Maka's bonding - I really wanted him to sound like a typical parent yelling at a kid for doing something stupid. In this case, unsafe sex, Reaper Style ;)

**Rage**

Liz caught sight of herself in one of the hall mirrors and groaned out loud. Her eyes were still puffy from her crying fit the night before and she'd had a terrible time trying to get to sleep. In fact, she'd had so much trouble that she'd finally gone down to the library to knock back a few shots of Lord Death's whiskey and she was feeling it.

She was the last one to breakfast; even the usually impossible-to-wake-up Kid had beaten her to the table. Not only that but he was alert and, even more disturbingly, smiling at her over the top of the _Death Times_.

"What are you so happy about?" she grumbled, sliding into her chair. Kid poured her a cup of coffee and passed it over with the society pages before continuing a good-natured debate about invasive foreign policies with Maka.

Patty rolled a sausage up in a chocolate chip pancake and took a bite out of it, making Liz' already jumpy stomach churn dangerously. "It's the besmirching!" she said sagely, "He's mostly always happy now. Maybe you should try it, Sis!"

Liz stared at her in dumbfounded amazement, but was spared from replying by Lord Death's appearance in the doorway. He jabbed his finger at his son and everyone at the table flinched.

"My office. Now."

He left as abruptly as he'd arrived and Patty turned wide eyes on Kid.

"You're in trooooubbble." she drawled, looking scared.

"I believe you're right, Patty." Kid folded the paper, laid it neatly beside his plate, and put his hand on Maka's shoulder. She looked at him questioningly as he stood but he shook his head, walking out without another word.

"What the fuck just happened?" Liz asked, "Maka, I want to know what's going on."

Kid barely got the door to his father's study closed before the tirade began.

"Do you mind telling me what the hell you were thinking?" Lord Death demanded, "Oh, that's right, you _weren't_ thinking. Not with the right head, at least."

"Dad, I-"

"Don't you Dad me. I specifically told you, told _both _of you, not to use perception or resonance with each other and the minute I turned my back, you went right ahead and did it anyway."

He started pacing, shoving a chair at Kid as he passed by.

"Sit."

"No thanks, I'll stand." Kid kept his voice cool, but winced inwardly when his father turned blazing eyes on him. He was suddenly and forcefully reminded that the furious man in front of him had already skinned one of his children alive.

"SIT. DOWN."

Kid sat. He'd expected consequences for forming his bond with Maka, but he hadn't been prepared for the full extent of his father's rage.

"I've been too easy on you since your mother went. Trying to make it up to you. I've let you run wild." Death made an angry gesture and Kid leaned back in the chair as far as he could, afraid for the first time in his life that his father was going to strike him.

"How so?" he asked meekly.

"How so? You wanted to go to school and play human, and I let you. You wanted to make your own weapons, which is a _colossal_ waste of time for a Reaper, and I let you. I didn't even put my foot down when you came home from a retrieval mission wanting to make those weapons out of a couple of pre-kishin street punks."

A rush of anger made the tips of Kid's fingers itch and he dug his nails into his palms to keep the purple sparks of energy safely tucked beneath his skin.

"And that turned out just fine, didn't it? Are you telling me you regret having Liz and Patty here?" he asked, gritting his teeth. He no longer cared if he took a blow for his insolence; in fact he might just fight back.

"No, I'm not. You know I'm not." Lord Death softened for just a moment and began to pace again. As taken aback as he'd been when Kid came home with a couple of angry thugs trailing behind him, he'd never regretted his decision to rehabilitate them and, eventually, to make them a part of his family. He loved those girls like his own. Right at this moment, he loved them quite a bit more than his stubborn brat of a son.

Kid was glaring at him defiantly, "Well, I made that call and it turned out to be the right one. How do you know that I made the wrong decision last night? You trusted me then, why not now?"

"That's right, I trusted you, Kid. I trusted you to do the right thing, to make good decisions. How am I supposed to trust you with the kind of power you have if you can't even commit to having safe sex?" Lord Death pounded his fist on an end table as he passed it, sending a china shepherdess tumbling to the rug.

"We are having safe sex!" Kid yelped, offended and embarrassed in equal measure. His father carefully picked the shepherdess up and inspected her for damage, using the distraction to calm himself.

"That's not the kind of safe sex I'm talking about and you know it." he paused for a moment, "Although I hope like hell you're not throwing caution to the wind there, too. That's all we need right now."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Only an idiot would ask a question like that right now." Lord Death replied dryly, "An unplanned baby would be mild in comparison to the shenanigans you've pulled this weekend. Why on earth did you do it, Kid? I know what kind of euphoria resonance adds to sex, and once you've had it must be hell trying to stay away from it, but you don't have the luxury of being careless with yourself."

Frustrated to the breaking point, Kid leapt out of the chair, "Because losing the heir is all that matters, right?"

"When you get right down to it, yes." Death jerked his head toward the wisps of magic leaking from his son's clenched fists, "You have almost as much power as I do, and that's a responsibility you have to put before your own interests. What you did last night has permanent consequences that you didn't have the right to inflict on yourself or Maka. I know you were worried about your relationship, but couldn't you have waited at least twenty-four hours before making an uninformed decision?"

"If I'm uninformed, whose fault is that?" Kid let the fury in his voice go unchecked, "How am I supposed to make all the good, trustworthy decisions that you expect when you always keep me in the dark? I have no idea how to be the next Lord Death. I don't have a full picture of what taking over from you entails. I don't even know the extent of my responsibilities. You treat me like a child and then berate me for acting like one. What I have with Maka is more important to me than anything. Maybe I made a rash decision last night, and maybe there are things that are more important than our relationship, but I have no idea what they might be because _you never tell me anything_!"

"I didn't think I needed to tell to you obey a direct order. Apparently your personal life is more important than your sense of duty."

"Maka thought-" Kid began, but his father cut him off with a sarcastic snort.

"I'll just bet she did. if Maka told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?"

Kid didn't hesitate for a second, "Yes."

"See, I-wait, what?" Lord Death was taken aback.

"If Maka asked me to jump off a bridge, she'd have a damned good reason for it. She's made some wild decisions in the middle of fights, but they've always paid off. Our resonance team is one of the best weapons the DWMA has and keeping it intact is a duty that I do understand. I trust her implicitly, and it has nothing to do with her being my girlfriend." Kid's voice rose in conviction and he stood face to face with his father, who sighed and put a weary hand on his son's shoulder.

"She's a lot more than that now, Kiddo. Do you have any idea what you've done to that girl?"

"I...think I do, yes."

Death stopped and looked long and hard at his son. When he spoke it was deliberate and slow.

"Okay, maybe you do know. I suppose the big question is, does she?"

**Responses!**

**REDEADED:** This chapter would literally not exist without you. Thank you, my dear friend, for your support, your friendship and your excellent stories!

**Wordfiend:** Of *course* I had to use the "would you jump off a bridge" line. Didn't we all promise ourselves we'd never say things like that when we had kids of our own. And then twenty years later, out it pops, right?

**Xenohawk:** Well, I'm sure you got bored waiting for me this time! Hope all is well and that Angry Death Dad was worth the wait.

**Ubiqitouch:** The Liz/Soul buildup will happen in the sequel. I wanted to hint at it here and then use it as a subplot in the second story. I feel like Liz and Soul often get hooked up in KiMa fics as a sort of consolation prize, and I wanted to give them their own time to shine!

**Enecs:** I have learned to love Patty. She terrified me at first, but she's become a joy to write. Almost too much of one - sometimes she pops into places I don't want her to be! I'm so glad you thought that last chapter was good!

**Sim:** Thank you for reading and letting me know you like it - I appreciate it so much :)

**Riot-Artist:** One of the best KiMas you've ever read? Really? Come here and let me give you a big hug!

**Yami:** What lies in store is more yelling, but things will settle down after that. Fear not - I'd never let a fellow KiMa shipper down.

**Nini Hearts:** Writing those mad scenes was a *pain*, and I'm glad you liked them. They never seem coherent when I'm writing them. Same rule applies for entire scenes full of angry yelling, like this one. I just sit back and hope like heck that it makes sense to somebody besides me!


	50. Regret

**A/N:** Welcome to chapter fifty! Even though some of them were super short, it's still chapter _fifty_ and you guys are still here. There are no words to convey all the gratitude I'm feeling for all you. Thank you so much! Individual responses are at the end!

Once again, this chapter comes to you courtesy of REDEADED, who not only betas but makes me laugh. Now you owe me a chapter!

**Regret**

Lord Death looked Maka over as she entered his study. Now that she was up close and personal his worst fears were confirmed.

"How are you feeling?" he kept his voice carefully neutral as he ushered her into the chair beside Kid's.

"I'm not sure how to answer that." she said truthfully, "I feel okay physically, but I don't know if I am or not. "

Lord Death nodded, "And emotionally?"

"I can feel how upset Kid is, and I know how angry you must be with us." she forced herself to sound calm, needing to be strong even though she was quaking inside. She snuck a glance at Kid, who was a raging ball of turmoil behind a perfectly still facade. His eyes caught hers and he reached out for her hand.

"Father, stop being obtuse and get to the point, please. We all know that Maka and I did something you don't approve of. Now we'd like to know what the repercussions are."

"Repercussions, hmmm? Too bad you didn't think about those last night."

Maka shifted uncomfortably in her seat, scared and horribly embarrassed. The fear and anger she was picking up from Kid weren't helping matters, either.

"Please, Lord Death, this was all my fault," she blurted, "I talked Kid into the soul resonance. I couldn't stand waiting to see if I was still going to be able to use it, and I know it was wrong. Please don't blame him."

Kid opened his mouth to protest, but his father interrupted. "It was just as much his decision as it was yours. I've told him, and now I'm telling you, that neither of you is free to make personal decisions that may affect your professional roles. Your team is one of the strongest assets we have, and you and Kid have put that at risk. And as the next Lord Death, Kid needs to think about every living soul on this planet before he thinks of himself. "

He sat down behind his desk and rested his elbows on the embossed leather blotter. The worry and exhaustion etched into his face filled Maka with compassion, and then with confusion. Who was she to pity God? She knew one thing; she was disgusted by her rash, and ultimately selfish, actions. _Time to grow up_, she thought, and felt Kid's soul hum in accord with hers.

"I promise you that I'll never put our relationship first again," she promised fiercely, "And I'll help Kid in any way that I can. I'm so ashamed, and so sorry for worrying you. For worrying everybody." Maka's eyes stung but she refused to submit to the passive aggression of tears. Now was not the time to make Death feel bad for her, and only children tried to cry their way out of trouble.

"Everyone makes mistakes, it's what you learn from them that's important. However, as I've told Kid, some choices have permanent consequences. I hope you enjoy this bond you've formed."

"Yes."

"Of course we do," Kid added.

"Good. Because it's not going away. Ever. What you've done is, hell, I'm not even sure what to call it. You've _blended _somehow. It healed your wound, Maka, but you'll always be completely linked to Kid. I'm sure you both think that's great."

Lord Death paused, watching them nod in unison and smile at each other. He shook his head and sighed.

"You're sixteen years old,"

"Almost seventeen." Kid interjected.

His father snorted.

"Oh, that makes a _big _difference. Seventeen years. Out of how many? This may seem romantic right now, but what's it going to be like twenty years down the road? Or fifty? I don't think I have to tell either one of you that sometimes love doesn't last." he nodded toward the back of the room and Maka turned to see what was behind her. Kid didn't need to look; he knew his father was directing her attention to the portrait of Sophie that hung over the fireplace.

Lord Death stared at her beautiful face for a moment before continuing, "And if it doesn't last for you, you're in trouble because no matter where you are or who you're with you will always have this bond. You will always be aware of each other, always know exactly what the other is feeling; possibly even_ thinking_. For the rest of your lives."

"Compared to Kid, I won't be around for a long time," Maka looked down at Kid's hand, clasped in hers, unable to imagine not wanting it to be there, "If something happens between us, if we don't stay together, it'll be awful but he'll only have to put up with it for a short part of his life."

The thought hit Kid like a blow and he bowed under the weight of her sadness and his own guilt. he turned and touched her cheek. The thought of it withering away and disappearing made his voice catch when he finally found the strength to speak.

"So what you're saying is that if we break up, my life might be uncomfortable for a little while, but yours will be entirely ruined?"

Lord Death thought about it for a minute.

"No," he said decidedly, "You're pretty much both screwed. And I don't mean in the good way."

"How _do_ you mean it?" Maka stammered, so worried that she skipped right over the embarrassing sexual reference, "The bond will break when I die, won't it?"

"Sure. Problem is that you've got a Reaper's soul now. Or part of one, at least. You're not going to die. Not for a long, long time. Maybe not ever."

Her eyes widened and she choked back a sob.

"Did you know?" she asked Kid wildly, "Last night; did you know what I was doing to you?"

He shook his head, "We did it to each other, and no, I had no idea. Do you think I would have made a decision like that for you?"

He dropped Maka's hand and stood, "Dad, you're right. I'm an irresponsible idiot. I have no business taking over from you, ever. I-"

"Can it, Kiddo. I'm not up to any self-incriminating drama this morning. Go beat yourself up on your own time. Better yet, skip the hysterics and figure out what you're going to _do_ about this." Lord Death waved his hand dismissively.

Kid stood still, shocked out of his downward spiral by his father's words. He looked down at the girl he loved, who was being rocked to the core by their combined stress and he knelt in front of her.

"You're right," he told his father as he put his arms around Maka and drew her forward, "The first thing we need to do is figure out how a way for us to buffer our link. We can't spend every minute being this close; we need to work on a way to damper the connection for daily use. And we need to see if we can still manage our team resonance."

"Now you're thinking. I can help you with that."

Maka looked at Lord Death over Kid's shoulder, "If I can still manage a chain resonance, we thought our new, uh, connection might really add some power to the team." she said hesitantly. Somehow it didn't seem like the fabulously exciting idea that it had the night before.

"We can work on that as well" Lord Death finally smiled at her, "Especially since most of your members are already here. Unless I'm mistaken, and I'm not, Soul got here about ten minutes ago. Kid, why don't you go settle everyone down; reassure him and the girls that I haven't killed either of you? Don't give them any details about Maka's new condition; that is strictly on a need-to-know basis until further notice. I want to talk to Maka alone, please."

"Yes, father. Of course." Kid kissed Maka on the forehead and headed for the door, pausing before he left to straighten his suit, taking care to smooth out the wrinkles.

"Nice to know that some things stay the same," Lord Death smiled again, somewhat relieved to see that his son hadn't completely changed overnight.

"You, on the other hand," he said, seating himself beside Maka in Kid's vacated chair, "Have changed more than you can possibly imagine. From now on you'll be studying with me on a regular basis. You're going to have to work hard to understand the Reaper energy and to learn to control it. Even I don't know the extent of this - as far as I know it's never been done."

"What does it mean, though? I know Kid's mother was human, but she was a Reaper, too. Is that what I am?"

"No, I gave her that power, she didn't come by it naturally. When you gave Kid that piece of yourself, I expected some kind of enhanced connection, but what you did last night created something entirely new. Kid provided you with the working material, but you've absorbed it and made it a part of your own soul. I don't know what that means for the long term; it'll be a learning experience for all of us. For now all I can say is welcome to the family."

**Responses!**

**Evito:** I'm glad to be back, too - thanks for waiting! It's a huge compliment to know that I can make someone's day a little brighter!

**Musing Reaper:** I hope you still like the direction it's going in, and I'm super pleased that you think I'm being true to the characters.

**Enecs:** Were your predictions right? If you like the idea, I hope they were! And Patty lives to torment Kid, even though she doesn't do it on purpose :)

**Xenohawk:** I'm glad that last chapter was worth waiting for, and I hope this one was, too! Now that I've gotten con over with for the year, the only thing getting in the way of writing are kids and exploding water mains :) I'm glad that finals are over and hope you like the direction this is going in.

**REDEADED:** There are no words good enough for you, dear pal of mine! None.

**Wordfiend:** I love you for the hilarious, hour-long convo about late 18th century portrait painting. Because tangents are fun and you are wonderful! In case anybody cares, the portrait of Sophie in Lord Death's office was painted by John Singer Sargent in about 1885. There are reasons for this ;)

**bluejelly02:** If I'm making you feel anything but exhausted by reading all of this, I must be doing something right. *hugs*

**UnflinchingResolve:** Not only do you have a kick-ass user name, your thoughtful review gave me a boost on a day when I really needed one. Glad we could help each other through a rough weekend.

**Nini Hearts:** I'm glad Kid's reasoning made sense - I didn't just put in it there for the laughs, so I'm glad the emotional impact showed through.

**Sim:** Hugs for liking the cliffhangers!

Arianna: Don't die! Don't die!


	51. Get Over It!

**A/N:** Some of the info about Weapon formation comes from Soul Eater, and some from Soul Eater Not. I took a little genetic license with it and turned it to my own purposes - I'm not sure it's canon. ! I'm trying hard to get back into a lighthearted mode, so I scrapped the original chapter 51 and substituted this bit of dorkiness instead. I figured if I was tired of all the dark durm und strang, you guys might be too. Besides, Soul loves to call shenanigans on Maka ;)  
Hugs to all of you!

**Get Over It**

Soul knew something was up the minute Maka walked through the living room door with her back straight and her arms clasped behind her. She only did that when something big was over. Or she had something on her mind that she _wished _were over. From the grim set of her jaw, Soul guessed it was the latter.

"There, Patty, see? I told you Dad hadn't killed her." Kid said, holding out an arm. Maka sat beside him and Soul saw a weird look cross her face, like she wanted to cry, or maybe hit something. Probably hit something. He was glad he wasn't the one next to her, even if that meant sitting with a hung-over Liz and helping her go throw up twice.

"What's going on?" Maka looked up at Kid, waiting for him to take the lead. She didn't want to give out any more information than he already had.

"I was just telling everyone that we think we've got you healed up, but that we need to test our resonance capability. Now that you're here, we can do that." Kid felt Maka's rocky emotions and wondered just how good an idea that was actually going to be.

"Now?" Liz moaned, "We're supposed to have the day off."

"Yeah!" Patty gave Kid a punch in the arm, "You said we were going to get ice cream and watch any movie I wanted. You _said_!"

"We'll do both, right after we do a little work," Kid promised.

"I don't wanna," Patty tried again, "We can't anyway, 'cause Sis threw up. Soul held her hair and I got to watch."

"How nice for you." Kid shuddered and turned his attention to Liz, "I know you feel awful, but you did bring it on yourself. You know better than to try to self-medicate with alcohol."

"Fuck you, Kid." Liz leaned her head back against the sofa and grabbed her temples when Patty started shrieking.

"That's Maka's job! Right Maka? You go besmirch him and then we won't have to work!"

"Lord Death wants us to meet him in the Death Room as soon as Black Star and Tsubaki can get there." Maka said, ignoring Patty. Everything seemed so normal that she wanted to scream. Wanted to tell them all that she was never going to be normal again. Kid's arm tightened around her and he pulled her in close, body and soul, trying to soothe her. Maka wanted to climb into his lap and cry her eyes out, but she certainly wasn't going to do it in front of everyone, especially after promising that she wasn't going to be self-indulgent any more. Soul knew something was up, though, and he was giving her a look that promised the third degree at the earliest available opportunity.

"Maka, can you please call Black Star and Tsubaki? I'm going to take Liz to the kitchen and see if we can get her situation resolved. Patty, you need to go upstairs and get dressed. Think of a list of movies you want to watch while you're doing it. Everyone ready to go in twenty minutes; let's get this over with."

Everyone looked a little startled by Kid's calm, take-charge attitude. He paused to whisper something in Maka's ear, and then pulled Liz to her feet and ushered his unhappy weapons out of the room while Maka made her call and Soul looked on in amazement.

"What the hell is going on, Maka?" he asked the minute she hung up the phone. He leaned against the back of the couch and crossed his arms behind his head, waiting. She got up off of her sofa and went to sit at the end of his.

"Well, you know..." she was trying to fake a cheerful attitude but Soul wasn't buying it.

"Cut the crap. You know you can't bullshit me, so quit trying."

"I- well, we.."

"Spit it out, already."

"Kid and I did something stupid and now my whole life is messed up!" she blurted. Covering her face in her hands, she bet toward her knees and tried hard to control her frustration.

"He said it was okay to tell you. That you were going to figure it out anyway because you and I are so close-" Maka felt Soul's hand on her back as he scootched next to her.

"It's okay, I think already figured it out." he said, rubbing her back, "I'm a cool guy, I can handle this. I'm not gonna freak out because you did this with him. You love him right?"

"Yes."

"And we all know he's nuts about you. It's not that big a deal."

Maka lifted her head and looked at him like he'd lost his mind, "Not a big deal? What do you mean it's not a big deal?"

Soul leaned down and put his arms around her, "I mean we'll make it okay. I'll help you through this. We're a team, right? Whatever it takes, you've got it. If you want to move in here it's fine...otherwise we can get a bigger place."

"Why would we need a bigger _apartment_?" Maka sat upright so suddenly that her ponytail smacked Soul in the nose.

"Well, babies need a lot of shit, don't they?" he asked helplessly, "I don't know much about this, but it'll have to have a crib and a highchair and one of those fold-up playpen things-"

Maka jumped up, looking deranged, "I'm not pregnant you idiot!" she yelped, shaking both hands at him like she was going to wring his neck.

Soul cringed away from her, preparing to fend off an attack.

"Then what the fuck are we talking about?" he snapped, covering his head. All of his careful, understanding, consoling work had apparently been for nothing. He'd already been thinking about what a cool uncle he was going to be. What a waste.

"I don't want to watch you DIE!" she screamed as her conversation with Lord Death burned through her brain, his words searing her heart all over again.

_"I have no idea what you're going to end up being, Maka; your soul is still developing and it's too soon to tell. You could have a bond with Kid and nothing more, or you could develop a range of Reaper's senses and abilities. One thing you do need to accept is the result of living a long life."_

_"All humans fear death, but it's the one thing they all have to confront sooner or later. For Reapers, that means watching them go. It means collecting their souls when they no longer need them. Part of the human condition is the vague understanding of loss through age, or disease, or accidents, or war. What humans can't comprehend, and what every Reaper faces, is the reality of losing every mortal being you know."_

_"It means that someday you will walk through Death City and realize that there isn't a single human left that you knew in your first life. It means that someday you will sit beside childhood friends as they die of old age, and when they go, you'll have to take their souls with a hand that's still young. The last thing they will see is your pretty, unlined face, and they may hate you for it."_

_"You need to accept that knowledge or it will drive you out of your mind, and if that happens it may destroy Kid. When Sophie went mad she nearly took him with her. Even with the strength you've given him I don't know if he could survive a second experience like that without going along for the ride. If he goes I will lose the son you've just given back to me, and our chance of peace with the witches, our chance for the future, will go with him. Break his heart if you need to, but don't drag him down into madness or the whole world is going to suffer."_

"What?" Soul was utterly confounded and a little scared, "What the hell did you and Kid do that's going to make you watch me die?"

"We used that piece of my soul I gave Kid to form a resonance bond. A really, really strong one and now its permanent and now I have Reaper shit in my soul and I'm going to live a jillion years and you're all going to hate me when you die." Maka knew she was getting hysterical, passing it along to Kid and freaking out Soul, but she couldn't help herself. The stress of the past few days was letting go all at once and she suddenly understood Liz' decision to hit the bottle.

Still rolled up in a protective ball on the couch, Soul's body started to shake. His reaction shocked Maka out of her own turmoil and she threw herself on top of his hunched back, taking her turn to be the consoling partner.

"I'm sorry Soul, I'm so sorry. We never would have done it if we'd known what was going to happen."

"Get off me!" Soul shoved her and she fell backward on the sofa ,"You are such an idiot." he wheezed. He sat up, clutching at his chest, and Maka realized he wasn't crying, he was_ laughing_.

"This isn't funny! Why do you always laugh at me when things aren't _funny_?!" she kicked at him wildly until he grabbed her feet and held them up in the air. The rest of her body slid onto the floor and she glared up at him, flopping like a fish out of water. Soul rolled his eyes at her.

"Leave it to you to get upset about something that's not going to happen for who knows how long. Unless you keep pulling crazy shit and give me a heart attack, I'm not keeling over anytime soon. Weapon blood, remember? I got witch DNA and so do Patty and Liz and Tsubaki. We're gonna live a hell of a long time and you don't think we've all had to deal with the idea of outlasting everybody except Kid? That we don't live with that every single day? Get over yourself, Maka."

"What about Black Star?" Maka demanded, stunned by the thought and forgetting to struggle.

"Black Star's either so dumb that he's gonna kill himself or he'll be too stubborn to die. We can all die any time, dummy. We could all croak when we try this resonance experiment, who knows. Stop being a baby."

Kid came skidding into the library and stopped dead at the sight of Soul holding Maka upside down by the ankles like a dead chicken.

"I just...I just need some time to think." Maka told Soul, "Can you let go of me?"

"Are you gonna settle your shit down?"

She nodded in agreement and he flipped her legs forward. She somersaulted backwards and landed in a seated position by the hearth.

"I just need some time to think." she repeated, looking from Soul to Kid and back again. Soul adjusted his headband and pulled his sweatshirt down.

"Well, think fast because we've got to get to the Death Room. We need to get our team going again, and it's all on you to make it work." He held out his hand and clasped hers for a long, healing moment before hauling her to her feet.

"He's right," Kid said, "If you and I are too upset it's going to make everything harder."

"Besides, once we get our resonance working again, we won't have these little misunderstandings." Soul gave Maka an evil smile and shot his eyes at Kid, " I'll just _know_ you're pregnant."

"Exactly...wait, _WHAT_?" Kid gaped while Maka and Soul leaned on each other and laughed.

**Responses!**

**UnflinchingResolve:** I hope your rainy days are a thing of the past, but if not, here's a big hug *squeeze*. I hope you like the new chapter.

**REDEADED:** I still owe you two (or is it three?) chapters, but here's an installment on my fic debt ;) Could never do it without you, man!

**Wordfiend: **Thank you for actually practicing the sofa flip with me to see if it was physically possible. Now everyone _knows_ we're nuts!

Enecs: I put a "besmirch" in this chapter just for you! Hope you think things are staying interesting.

**BookandAnimeNerd:** I'm so glad you liked it, and hope you like this one, too :)

**Xenohawk:** Well, it wasn't a very fast update, but here it is. Thanks for sticking by me for so long!

**Nini Hearts:** I tried, but Soul just would not get emo for me. He did get in a good dig on Kid, though. And you just gave me a Crona plot bunny to work into the next story - thank you!

G**uest: **Thank you so much! I hope you still find it good, and thank you for reading :)

**Courage-Earthworm'8:** So good to have you back from the land of no internet, my friend! *squee* I missed you!

**Guest:** It is a horrible, _total_ cliche, but since I'm trying to work in as many KiMa tropes as I can (except for Bad!Soul, abuse/self-harm and AU!), I just couldn't resist the temptation. I'm really sorry you think the writing and narrative quality are going down, though :( What can I do to improve?

**jinx:** I don't think this chapter counts as interesting, but hopefully it's kind of sweet and funny. Thanks for your super-nice comment :)


	52. Let's Dance

**A/N:** This action was difficult to write because most of it isn't physical and because I needed to up the resonance game without making it so off-canon that I hated it. I hated the first two versions and finally settled on this one, so I hope it makes some sense (at least a little). The best thing about fan fic is that I always have the opportunity to re-write if a better idea pops into my head or into a reader's :)  
This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Unflinching Resolve's little kitty and owes its existence to REDEADED and Wordfiend, friends extraordinaire!

**Let's Dance**

"This blows." Black Star announced by way of greeting as the rest of his team filed into the Death Room, "We're supposed to have the day off and we all have to come in 'cause Maka finally got her act back together?"

"I know, right?" Patty broke ranks and went to stand next to him, copying his look of disapproval. Liz, no longer nauseous but still looking pale and shaky, joined her sister in the Hater's Corner.

"It's just for a little while," Tsubaki soothed, "We're all happy that Maka's feeling better, right?"

Black Star looked his childhood friend over, "Yeah," he said gruffly, giving Maka a grudging smile, "You gonna be alright?"

"Nobody knows; that's what we're all here to find out!" Lord Death said gaily, waving them over toward the center of the room. Maka looked at him anxiously, not sure how to act since finding out that the Lord Death she'd known all her life was nothing more than a construct. _Relax_, she told herself, _Remember what Kid said. It's like talking to a phone. Just ...act normal._

Like she knew anything about normal these days. And phones didn't have great big hands or a sense of humor that was odd bordering on crazy. She reminded herself that she needed to put her personal thoughts on the back burner and concentrate on the matters at hand. Her resonance with Soul and their friends was the central point of her existence. It was easier to worry about clowns than it was to ponder a future without being able to do the work she loved, but she didn't have time to indulge in _easy _right now.

Kid felt her tension and reached for her hand. His soul brushed hers, gently offering her support while she tried to adjust her thinking.

"Com'on, let's get this party started!" Lord Death said cheerfully.

Maka took a deep breath and looked over her assembled team as they shuffled into their places. It felt like the first day of group resonance training all over again. They stood in a lose circle, weapons beside technicians. All of them looked wary, or, in Liz' case, downright scared. Maka looked up at Soul and bit her lip.

"You ready?" she asked. He gave her his best grin and he gripped her shoulders reassuringly.

"As I'll ever be. Remember, this is on you. You can make it work."

For the first time since she'd altered her existence, Maka's soul reached toward her partner's. There was a sharp shock and she pulled back on the power a little. She increased the Grigori wavelength, setting off another little frisson. Sparks flew as she pushed through it, and then the bond locked in and she became one with her weapon again. She held her breath, waiting for the searing heat that would result if she and Soul weren't meshing properly, but the smooth, solid metal of the scythe felt cool in her hands. She spun the shaft effortlessly over her head and then tried a simple slash-and-jab combination. Unprepared for the increase in her strength, she overshot a little at the end, regained her footing and tried again. This time she was able to control her swing a little better and when she powered through the thrust she was surprised to see a tiny bolt of purple and black race across Soul's blade.

"Soul! Are you okay?" she asked, scrambling back into basic stance.

"Yeah..." he said slowly, "There's some pretty intense stuff here. Was that your "Reaper shit"?"

"I think so. We're going to need to figure out how to control it, but we're okay. We're still us!" she told him.

Over the link, Soul laughed with relieved joy, "Never doubted it! Now let's see what you can do with this fancy new soul of yours!"

"You got it! Let's go...Soul Resonance!" she opened their link fully, letting her raw power surge into the bond. Their bright blue aura sizzled with tiny threads of Reaper energy and expanded so powerfully that everyone else in the room skittered back a couple of feet. Kid inhaled sharply as he took the hit through his link with Maka and did what he could to provide support from his side.

"Holy shit!" Soul exclaimed , "I thought we had some serious game before but this is like trading up from my bike to a Dodge Tomahawk."

"You're a Death Scythe, you can handle it!" Maka laughed.

"Damn straight!"

Lord Death nodded approvingly, "Great job! Can you hold on to it?"

Maka nodded, "Yes, Lord Death, I've got it". And as the words came out, she suddenly knew that she could.

"Kid!" she called, "Go ahead, I can take it from this end."

"Liz! Patty!" he said; rather pointlessly since his sisters had started their transformation the minute Maka gave the go ahead. Their familiar grips slid comfortingly against his palms and he was able to release the pent-up energy into their resonance link. His soul and Maka's brought the five of them crashing together in a whirl of energy that bounced violently between the chain resonance and their personal link.

"Whee!" Patty was no longer bummed out about having to postpone her ice cream, "This is like a roller coaster!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick again!" Liz whimpered. Kid gave her a wobbly but effective hit of Maka's Grigori wavelength.

"Better?" he asked.

"Why couldn't you have given me that earlier instead of whatever was in that disgusting hangover cure you made me?"

"I asked if you felt better."

"Ummm...yeah. Really, really good, actually.

"Good. Now shut up and concentrate!"

Maka was scrambling to keep the power evenly distributed, but it was hard with two channels to worry about. The chain resonance slammed wildly against her link with Kid, neither of them steady. She was gritting her teeth so hard that her jaw began to ache as she fought to balance them.

"Soul!"

"I'm trying...just hold on" Soul flung himself into the black blood room and hit the piano keys for all he was worth. He felt the little demon at his elbow, saw him rubbing his hands together gleefully as he encouraged Soul to tap into the madness for help.

"It's not working!" Maka sounded strained and he knew she was getting close to her breaking point. He played harder, mind racing.

"Use your real power, Soul. Come on." The little demon urged, slyly holding the needle above the record spinning on the gramophone, "You can fix this with one little dance!"

Maka appeared beside the piano, gasping for breath.

"Soul don't you dare!" she gave the gramophone a swift kick and turned on the little demon, "and quit encouraging him, you ugly little bastard! Get _out_ of here!"

A second kick, followed by a solid smack upside the head, sent the little demon scurrying for the shadows while he squealed in pain. Maka grunted in satisfaction and turned on her partner.

"Quit trying to save me!" she cried, slamming her fist on the edge of the piano, "I don't need saving, I need your help." The skirts of her black blood dress shook as she fought to keep control of their chaotic energy

"I'm trying" he repeated, playing as hard as he could. Then he heard Kid's voice, clear as day, calling Maka's name, and inspiration struck. The single melody he and Maka shared wasn't enough because she was no longer a solo act. The old music wasn't going to work anymore.

"Maka! Kid! he shouted, "Both of you, just listen - we need a duet!"

Maka nodded, "That's it! Kid, get in here!"

The doorknob turned, and Kid stepped inside, hesitating as the pure power of the place seeped into him. Behind him, the door to reason and reality slammed shut and sent panic shooting up his spine. Maka ran to him and he took her gloved hands while he tried to help her keep the resonance going.

Soul glanced at them as he tried to find their essence and work it into his melody with Maka. What were they together? _Disgustingly sweet_. He hit a high note_. No, not that sweet_...he moved from a G to an F. _Right there. Now what else? _They were blended, even, stable; centered like the C in the middle of the keyboard. He struck a lower note with his left hand and shook his head. _Devotion that's deep, but not dark_. His eyes raced over the keyboard, and the last note clicked into place inside his head, bringing the entire composition with it.

"I got it!" he announced, turning to smiled at the two figures standing before him on the checked tile floor, "I can play it, but the dancing is up to you two."

"You know I suck at this." Maka cried, "If this all depends on my dancing skills, we're screwed!"

"Not a problem," Kid said, taking her in his arms and grinning at Soul, "All my years of lessons are about to pay off."

Soul's eyes dropped to the piano keys and he began to play. The music strengthened as he went on, soaring from beneath his fingers. Kid spun Maka across the floor and, bound to him with her heart and her soul, she followed his every move.

"I love you." he whispered. She kissed him without breaking stride and the link between them solidified. Maka brought it into line and began to twine it with the chain resonance, locking five souls into a cohesive whole.

"What the hell? Where are we?"Liz demanded as she and Patty appeared, "and why am I wearing this?" she swiped at the emerald green gown that fell to her feet.

"This is me and Maka. This is where we come from. All our strengths and weaknesses rolled into one big, crazy dance hall" Soul replied, "And you're wearing that because it's how I see you."

Patty grabbed her sister's hand, "Come on, Sis! Twirl me!" She spun like a frilly pink top and Liz gave Soul one of those hundred-watt smiles over the top of her sister's head.

With the dual links stabilized, Maka was able to reach out and open the door to the black blood room, revealing the last two members of their team.

"Come in, Black Star!" Maka called, "Slowly, or I'll kick your ass."

"Like you could." he scoffed from the doorway. Tsubaki peeked over his shoulder.

"What is this? _Where_ is this?"

"This is where we all are!" Patty yelled joyfully, waving them in. Black Star took Tsubaki's hand and led her into the room, shaking the floor with his strong steps.

"I said _slowly_!" Maka barked, as the double link became a triple.

"Whatever. Let's party!" Black Star yanked his tie loose and dragged Tsubaki toward the middle of the dance floor, making her lavender dress billow behind her. Soul upped the tempo, helping Maka accommodate the unchecked strength Black Star brought to everything he did.

"You never hold back, do you?" Kid asked, neatly avoiding a collision by throwing an American lift into his otherwise classic Viennese waltz.

"Never have, never will." Black Star replied, "That's why I'm the biggest star there is!"

"Well, not at dancing, you're not. You're stomping Tsubaki's toes to death." Liz winced in sympathy, "Can't you give him some lessons, Kid?"

"Sissy stuff!" Black Star jeered, "How 'bout some real music. This slow shit is boring."

He gave Maka a challenging look, "You got what it takes?"

"I do now. Bring it on and let's see what we can do!" she laughed, "Give it all you've got, Soul!"

"Hang on to your asses!" he replied, sending the music flying high and sweeping them all into frenzied motion. Make used the momentum to bind all the lines of energy into a pulsing, glowing, whole. It was stunning in its power; beautiful and not to be trifled with. And she had control of it. Not perfectly, not by a long shot, but she _had_ it.

"This is only going to last for a few more seconds!" she warned, yelling over the music, "We can't keep this up - we're not good enough yet! If I let it blow it's going to make a huge mess in the Death Room."

"Oh, who cares?" Soul shouted back, "Let's go out with a bang!"

And they did.

Out in the Death Room the enormous swirling mass of the chain resonance stretched to its breaking point and exploded in a burst of wind and light; a soul-fueled bomb. Lord Death's alter ego grabbed for the mirror and felt the crack in his mask deepen as it struck the ornate frame. On the other side of the glass Kid's father winced in pain and stood anxiously, trying to take stock of the seven souls at the center of the shock wave. The dust finally cleared and he saw them lying amongst the pre-kishin graves, hanging onto the flattened crosses and each other while they cheered in triumph; filthy, exhausted and perfectly fine.

"Well, what are we going to do with that kind of power?" the battered clown asked his master.

Lord Death shook his head, watching Kid lift Maka off her feet and spin her around in a glorious embrace, "I think the real question is, once they have control over it, what _couldn't_ we do with that?"

**Responses!**

**NiniHearts:** When I read about the weapons having shared witch DNA, I immediately started thinking about the concept of them outliving their partners. I have no idea what a "normal" lifespan in the SE universe is, but I assume it's fairly standard? I'm glad you liked where I went with the idea!

**Shadow Wolf Dreamer:** You gave me the idea to make the chain resonance into a literal bomb - thank you! Now there's something they might be able to put to good use in the future. And thank you for the support - it means a lot to me!

**No Name Anime Fan:** I'm totally fine with SoMa, but I'm a KiMa fan all the way. I get a few haters for that, which makes no sense to me at all. I'm so glad you like the story so far and this one made sense!

**Xenohawk:** No cliffhanger on this installment either! This one took a loooong time to write because summer is always nuts around here, but I finally managed to get it done and I hope it turned out okay. I also hope that summer is treating you well and that you're getting some rest and relaxation :)

**Unflinching Resolve:** I really, really, hope that all the sadness and badness is past. HUGE hugs!

**REDEADED:** Thanks for yet another beta job, my dear pal. This story would be dead in the water with no chance of resuscitation without you :)

**Death TheCaterpillar:** I love the dynamic between Soul and Maka and I'm so glad you think I captured some of it. Thank you so much for reading :)

**Wordfiend:** Another chapter done and you didn't even have to do any gymnastics for this one ;) You are a dear friend, and just a dear in general.


	53. Tidying Up

**A/N:** Life finally slowed down enough for me to finish this chapter. Nothing huge here, just wanted Maka to have a little taste of the Reaper side of Kid's life, and to start seeing what that means for her. The next chapter should be the last one! Thank you for reading this far :) Extra-special thanks to REDEADED for proofing and all-around encouragement, and to Wordfiend for catching that really awkward typo in the first draft!

Additional thanks to my daughter, for pointing out that Kid doesn't use his Reaper power in front of anyone except his family. Headcanon says it's because he wants to be as much like his friends as possible. He has his power and level up tricks, but they're not any odder than Black Star's or Maka's. He can summon a mirror/portal thingie with it, and we saw him almost collect souls with it on the Nihog, but I'm going to assume that it can be used for way more than that.

**Tidying Up**

"We did it!" Maka leapt triumphantly from Kid's arms into Soul's. He staggered backwards, laughing and nearly stepped on Liz, who was still sitting on the ground trying to get her bearings.

"It's great and all, but what was that explosion? We can't keep doing that - look at this place!" she gestured at the swath of flattened crosses surrounding them as Soul solicitously helped her up.

"You know what it was? It was _awesome_!" Black Star yelled, jumping up and high-fiving Patty, who agreed with him at the top of her lungs.

"We're like the biggest bomb _ever_! Are we gonna get to do that every time? Are we? Are we?" she was thrilled by the power, the violence. She could already imagine blowing enemies to smithereens. And if she got to wear a twirly dress while doing it, all the better.

"I certainly hope not!" Tsubaki said, looking worriedly at Maka. She didn't need resonance to see that her friend was exhausted.

"Well, that makes two of us!" Lord Death arrived, big hands waving in their direction, "Although when Maka learns to control it, it will be very useful in the right situation. Until then, you're going to have to practice out in the desert. The Death Room wasn't built for this kind of thing and we can't have you flattening the school, either."

"I'm sorry." Maka felt as though she'd failed. It was going to be a long time before she could control the new resonance, let alone make use of it. The team was going to have to put in a lot of extra practice hours, and now they'd have to do it out in the blazing heat. She reminded herself again not to act without considering the consequences. Not that she needed to; judging from their protests, Soul, Liz and Black Star weren't ever going to let her forget it. She didn't even want to think about what Patty was going to do when the word "desert" finally sank in.

She felt one of the clown's big hands rest gently on her head, "Now, now. It was a heck of a first try. You can still run your team and you'll get a handle on all this new stuff eventually."

"Yes, sir." Maka smiled up at him, then looked around her, "What do we do about the mess?"

"Well, first things first. Let's get these crosses straightened up. Shouldn't take too long if we all pitch in!"

Liz was extremely put out, "Oh, good, let's do some manual labor on top of beating ourselves half to death after the weekend from hell." she grabbed the nearest cross and yanked it back into place with more force than was strictly necessary.

Patty looked at Kid menacingly, "You said we would go get ice cream right after we got done working. _Right after_!"

"Well, we're not done working yet." Kid told her, then recklessly added, "Do a good job and you can have two ice creams."

"Let's GO, people!" Patty could tidy up at a stunning rate if properly motivated.

"I think we got them all," Soul said fifteen minutes later.

"Let's get out of here, then!" Black Star dusted off his hands and headed toward the door.

Kid was obviously looking forward to celebrating, but Lord Death stopped his son from leaving with the others.

"Kid, look around and make sure none of the Kishin souls are disrupted." he tapped the deepened crack across the eye in his mask, "My eyesight's not what it used to be. As a matter of fact, Maka you stay too and see how it's done."

"Of course, Father." Kid turned back, but Lord Death didn't miss the longing look the boy gave his friends.

Soul lingered behind, pausing at the doorframe to give Maka a questioning look.

"We'll meet up with you guys later at the Gallows," she promised "We promised Patty a movie night, and I have to pack up all my stuff so we can take it home."

Soul gave her a huge, relieved grin, "Catch you later then." He held up a hand at Kid, who glumly returned the gesture.

"So, what do we have to do?" Maka asked, touching Kid's arm and bringing him back to reality. The reality that he wasn't human, never would be, and that he had a job to do.

"We need to make sure all the kishin souls remained encapsulated. If any of the barrier fields around them have been disrupted, Dad will need to repair them."

Lord Death shook his head, "You're a big boy. _You _repair them. Consider it part of your punishment."

"They could get loose?" Maka looked around in alarm. There was a lot of pure evil buried in the ground around them and the thought of it escaping was a terrifying one.

"Yes, but we won't let them," Kid promised, "Use your soul perception on the burial field and look down deep. If any of them are disturbed, you'll see it.

Maka closed her eyes and fired up her perception, training it on the spot they'd just finished cleaning up. Sure enough, she saw a muted Kishin wavelength stirring beneath the ground, straining upward.

"I see one!" she cried, belatedly realizing she shouldn't be quite so thrilled about it. It wasn't treasure hunt, after all. She found three more, and Kid confirmed the number.

"Now I need to lock them back down," Kid sounded distant and automatic and she could feel his reluctance, even though he was trying to hide it from her.

"It's okay," she told him, "Whatever you're going to do isn't going to scare me off or make me sorry about what we did. I know you can do stuff that the rest of us can't. You're not allowed to pretend to me. Boyfriend rule, remember?"

"More like I _can't _pretend to you anymore," Kid said, but she felt his wavelength relax against hers.

"Maka, come stand here with me." Lord Death said. From eight feet away, she watched Kid bring his hands together and make a strange, ritualistic gesture that ended with outstretched arms; pinkies and forefingers extended. energy burst forth in a blinding flash of purple light and a wind that blew Maka's hair back wildly. She gasped as she felt the power surging from Kid; felt her soul swelling with it. She had no idea what to do about it, had no idea _what_ was going on, really. Panic blossomed as tiny black and purple sparks danced across her fingernails and her hands began to tingle.

"I don't know what to do! My hands - what's happening?"

"Are you okay? Dad, is she okay?" Kid was trying to split his attention between his work and his distressed girlfriend without great success.

"It's alright, Maka," Lord Death coached, "Kid's power is activating that piece of his soul you have. Don't try to do anything for now. Just work on containing it and not passing any negative emotion along to Kid." He put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"I'm fine, Kiddo. Your dad won't let anything happen to me."

She forced herself to relax and concentrated on following along as Kid focused on the wriggling soul nearest to them. Frowning in deep concentration, he sent a flat plane of purple light toward the ground, easing it slowly beneath the malevolent orb. It was delicate work, and Maka found herself holding her breath.

On high alert Lord Death waited, ready to step in if needed. The hard part was coming up. As soon Kid shifted the ground enough, the kishin soul burst from its damaged prison. It shot into the air, followed by the glowing light that had been wedged beneath it. Kid snapped it up, closing his power over it like a net. A bright flash was followed by a billow of purple-tinged smoke. It slowly thinned away into translucent skull shapes, revealing a sparking capsule of light floating above the ground with the immobilized kishin inside it.

"Good catch, son!" Lord Death cried, clapping like the boy had just caught a pop fly at a demented Little League game.

Kid glanced over at Maka, who had finally remembered to breathe again. Her natural curiosity had beaten down her panic and she was nearly bursting with questions.

"You have to get under them and grab them quick," he explained, "They just squirt out from underneath you if you try to catch them from the top. Then you have to apply your power in an precise inverse ratio to the kishin's to nullify it. It's got to be exactly equal."

"Sounds hard." Maka said, trying to work through the equations in her head. Who knew being a Reaper required so much calculating under pressure? Now she knew why Kid ran rings around almost everyone in their math classes.

"Actually, it was easier this time than it's even been."

Lord Death nodded approvingly, "You've always overcompensated before. I'm still not happy about what you did, but it looks like you're going to make it work to your advantage. You were as cool as a cucumber and your balance was perfect!"

Kid was deeply, fundamentally satisfied and Maka realized that she didn't have to worry about her alterations to his soul changing him too much. He didn't just like symmetry, he _needed_ it. Creating balance between good and evil was what he was born to do. Losing his neurosis about it was going to make his job easier, make his _life _easier, but he was still going to be Kid. Her Kid.

Let's hope I can make it work to our advantage, too," she said softly, turning her thoughts to all the challenges ahead of her. Kid went to her side, tipping her chin up and looking into her eyes.

"I don't have to hope," he told her, "I know you will. You've already started."

"All right," Lord Death interrupted, smacking his enormous palms together, "Enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. Get back to work! Kishins now, kissing later."

**Responses!**

**Shadow WolfDreamer:** Thank you so much for continuing to read :)I felt like the explosion might highlight the fact that they can get the resonance link to work, but have no control over it yet. Plus I really wanted to blow something up ;) The sequel will focus in part on Maka learning to use that bit of Reaper soul Kid gave her. She won't have anything like Kid has, but it'll still be a major learning experience for her!

**Nini Hearts:** *hugs* Thank you SO much for pointing out the oopsies - that's what I get for writing/posting things at 4am. For the sequel I have a couple of different conflicts in mind; I'll just have to see if I can work them all in!

**Xenohawk:** I finally got another one done and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing with me :)

**REDEADED:** Almost done and it wouldn't have happened without you, my friend :)


	54. Forever

**A/N:** Last chapter! Took me long enough to finish the second half, but it's finally done. I want to thank all of you for reading - especially the folks who've stuck with this since the beginning. I hope you all find the ending a satisfying one.

I'll never be able to thank Wordfiend and REDEADED enough for all their support, beta reading and friendship, but man, are they awesome people. As are all the new friends I've made during the writing of this story - thank you so much.

Now I'm off to work on the sequel! If there are plot points or just fun ideas that you'd like to see in the next installment, please let me know!

Enormous hugs and gratitude to all of you!

**Forever**

Maka patted down the earth covering the last kishin grave and dusted off her hands. Even though Kid had shut his Reaper power down they still tingled faintly. She looked at them and then back at the little mound of dirt in front of her. She could sense the soul beneath it struggling inside its prison. Even though it was evil incarnate, there was a tiny nugget of humanity left deep inside. Not enough to save, but she still felt sorry for it.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say it gets any easier," Kid said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder, "but it's a good thing to mourn any scrap of order still left in these souls. Nothing in this world is one hundred percent good or bad. I used to think everything was black or white, and I'm still trying teach myself to see all the shades of gray."

She got to her feet, "I never realized they were buried alive. I guess I never really thought about it." For her, it had always been about the thrill of the hunt and the sense of accomplishment that a winning reap brought. Now she had yet another part of her life to reevaluate.

"You know the saying, 'a fate worse than death'? Well..." Kid gestured at the graveyard around them, and Maka gave a little shiver of distaste.

"There is no redemption for a true kishin soul," Lord Death said, striding through the Death Room mirror in his human aspect, "That's why it's so important to reap or rehabilitate the souls on the Death List while they're still in the pre-kishin state."

"What if you make a mistake?" Maka asked, thinking of Kid's decision to leave Crona's ultimate fate up to her, even though Lord Death had been forced to put her friend's name on the Death List. If she'd made the wrong move at the wrong time, well, they might all be under Asura's thumb right now.

"There is no room for error." Kid said blankly; obviously repeating a lesson that had been drilled into him since childhood, "Which is why all those shades of gray are so difficult to deal with. Every decision we make means life or death for a human soul. Hoping you've made the correct choice is a constant worry. Making the wrong one is the greatest shame a Reaper can face."

"Rough way to grow up, but there wasn't any choice." Lord Death said, correctly interpreting the look of sadness on Maka's face. He put his hand on his Kid's head, "You've done well, son. A Reaper to be proud of."

Kid gave a formal little nod, "Thank you, father. I'm grateful you still feel that way. I'm very sorry about what happened earlier between Maka and I. There won't be any more errors like that."

"I certainly hope not!" Lord Death teased, done with being serious for a while, "I'd keep my soul away from other girls if I was you."

"Especially considering the method you used to forge that link." the clown interjected.

Behind her mortification, Maka was highly disturbed by seeing Lord Death in the same room as his doppelganger.

"Can we go now?" Kid huffed, "Not only are you being highly inappropriate, but the two of you are freaking Maka out."

"Go ahead," Lord Death waved his hand in dismissal, "And stay out of trouble! At least for the rest of the day, please."

By silent accord Kid and Maka left the DWMA and wandered through the woods at the edge of the practice field, holding hands and lost in thought.

"What now?" Kid asked as they reached the clearing where he'd kissed her for the first time, "We might be able to catch up with everyone at the ice cream parlor if you want to."

"I'm not really in the mood for ice cream right now." Maka said as they seated themselves on the sun-warmed wall overlooking the city, "How about we go pack up my stuff and then you take me for a long ride on Beelzebub? I need to clear my head."

"Absolutely," he agreed, "But I wish you didn't have to take your things home. I like having you with me."

He slipped his arm around her and told her his hopes and dreams for the future. Sharing his home with her. Eating dinner with her every night. Her books on the shelves, her toothbrush sitting beside his, maybe making use of his old nursery someday. Meshing their lives like they'd meshed their souls.

"I think we've made enough big life changes for one weekend, but I want all those things too." she told him, then added, "And you know, I don't have too take _everything_ home. Think you could make a little space in your closet for me? I'm going to be spending a _lot_ of nights at your house."

"How many is a lot?"

"I'll probably wear a path to your door." she promised, pulling him down for a kiss.

"We could connect that big mirror in your room with mine," he suggested when they parted, "Then you'll be able to come and go as you please with privacy."

Maka lit up at the thought.

"Will I be able to open it?"

"I'll teach you. It looks more imposing than it really is, and the more practice you get the sooner your hands will stop tingling."

"How did you know my hands were tingling?"

"I've been there. Besides, I know when something's bothering you."

"What else do you know?"

"I know that I love you."

"I love you, too. I always will."

This time the kiss was deep and their soul bond vibrated with passion. Maka put her arms around Kid's neck and leaned into him, secure in the knowledge that he would never let her fall.

"I also know that the packing is going to be postponed for a little while." he whispered between kisses, and she smiled against his lips.

"Just a_ little_ while? You can usually do better than that." she teased, rubbing against him suggestively.

"Time to go home," Kid announced, lifting her off the wall, "Or I'm going to show you how much better I can do right here."

Maka's phone chirped as he was summoning Beelzebub with rather desperate haste.

"Soul just texted me," she sighed, "Everybody's back at the Gallows already. Looks like we're going to have to do movie time before we do anything else."

"Patty will have a fit if we make her wait any more," Kid agreed, sounding highly frustrated. He stepped onto Beezlebub and she hopped up behind him with practiced ease, "Hopefully she'll pick something short."

"Yeah. We have school tomorrow, too, and I _am_ going to have to pack." Knowing they were about to head back to normal life, whatever that meant from now on, gave her pause.

"Everything's going to be okay, isn't it?" she snuggled against him, taking comfort in his scent and the feel of his body against hers, "I've got so much to learn. We have to figure out how to control our link, and the new team resonance needs so much work. Plus I still want a life with school and our friends. Will we be able to do all that and still find time for _us_?"

Kid's confidence and joy flowed into her through their bond as they took to the air.

"We have all the time in the world for you and me," he said, looking over his shoulder and giving her a beautiful smile, "We have forever."

**Responses!**

**LokiGirl:** Did we go to the same college?

**UnflinchingResolve:** Any brightness I can bring to your day makes the writing worthwhile!

**Xenohawk:** I'm so glad that Lord Death came across well - he *is* fun! I'm currently doing a rewrite on the entire story, tweaking it and tightening it up. I'll post another "chapter" when it's up and re-posted. Thank you SO much for following this to the end :)

**REDEADED:** You're the best writing pal ever - I'll never be able to thank you enough.

**Destiny Xavier 16:** I'm so glad you liked it :)

**Wordfiend:** You've researched, cried, laughed, battled trolls and been silly with me. I adore you, dear pal.


	55. Afterword

**A Final Note**

October 14, 2014

This bit has some notes and a list of tropes, but mainly I wanted to post responses to the wonderful people who reviewed the very last chapter. You deserve public thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts!

I'm planning a sequel to Life Lessons, and am currently writing a fluffy, disgustingly cute little short based on lana2452's "Fall Is Here" artwork on Tumblr (with her permission, of course!).

Everything will be cross-posted on Archive of Our Own under QuantamTheory1, except for a planned KiMa PWP that I promised a PM reader. That will only be posted on Archive of Our Own.

**Responses!**

**UnflinchingResolve:** Humbled to the core by the finest compliment a FF writer can ever receive. I'm so glad you liked it and that it brought a little happiness to the dark days that I hope are behind you!

**surfgecko: **I can't imagine SE without that super-tight forever bond between Soul and Maka. They wouldn't be themselves without each other. I'm glad I managed to show that that nothing will ever come between them, and that it's possible for two people to love each other very deeply without being *in* love.

**s2coracions2:** Are you crazy? Of *course* I missed you! I'm working on a little something new right now!

**Delta5744:** Thank you so much. I was so worried about the ending! There will be more, thank you!

**REDEADED:** This story would never have been finished without you. Thank you for your friendship, which is very, very dear to me :)

**BloodyKnives648:** I was soooo worried about the cheese factor. I wanted to leave the story on a positive note without doing the whole "everything is perfect and it always will be" ending. I'm so glad that it didn't come across as sickeningly sweet. Thank you for reading!

**MusingReaper:** That's one hell of a compliment, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for it.

**Wordfiend:** You've researched, cried, laughed, battled trolls and acted silly together. Love you, dear pal!

**Tropes!**

Some of the fanfic tropes I didn't touch on are the ones that involve rape, abuse, self-harm, addiction, unwanted pregnancy, etc. I feel that those subjects are too serious to be written from my position of ignorance. My bad handling of trauma just for dramatic purposes would be a slap in the face to those who suffer from these serious issues and their consequences. I have no problem with other people writing on these topics, I just think I would do a terrible job with them.

If you think of any I've left out, let me know - I'd love to add them it :)

For Chapter 22, other than "You're Like A Brother/Sister To Me", I have no idea. I don't think there _are_ any tropes about biscuit boobs and sisters' underpants. (Something to be grateful for, honestly!)

\- Accidents Lead to Sexy Tiems!

\- As Long As We're Both Naked(ish), We Might As Well Have Sex

\- Aww...How Romantic

\- Black Blood Is Bad

\- Black Star and Maka Are Snarky With Each Other

\- Black Star Is Annoying

\- Characters Thrown Together For Love/Lust Tension

\- Conflicting Loyalties

\- Cooking/Eating Scene

\- Deep Dark Secrets

\- Do Liz and Soul Have A Thing For Each Other?

\- Emo Tragedy Avoided

\- Emotional Trauma!

\- Every Business In Town Has To Have A Reference To Death In Its Name

\- Finagled Into Bed For Health Reasons

\- Flowery Love Talk

\- Food Fight!

\- Heroine Ends Up Having To Change Clothes

\- I Can't Let Them See Me Cry

\- I Hate You Because I Love You

\- I Have A Thing For You, But I Can't Let You Know

\- I Smell A Plot Hatching

\- Kid Doesn't Trust His Dad

\- Kid Hates Blood and Dirt

\- Kid Never Gets To Have Fun, Because Reaper Duties Call

\- Kid's Mysterious, Absent Mother

\- Let's Get Coffee!

\- Liz Likes Gossip

\- Lord Death Has A Human Form

\- Love Conquers All!

\- Love/Sex Makes Me A Completely Different Person

\- Madness! Insanity! Order! Chaos!

\- Magic Grigori Wavelength Can Do Anything!

\- Magic Reaper Powers

\- Maka gets Emo About Crona

\- Maka Gets Immortality/Special Powers from Kid

\- Maka Gives Up Her Ponytails

\- Maka Is A Study-Obsessed Bookworm

\- Maka Is A Workaholic

\- Maka Is Violent

\- Maka's Got A Terrible Temper

\- Maka's Mysterious, Absent Mother

\- Mean Kids At School Are Mean

\- Oh, Black Star!

\- Patty is Crazy

\- Paybacks Are Hell

\- Reality Has No Bearing On Our Sex Life

\- Secret Shinigami Stuff

\- Shower Scene!

\- Somebody Gets Hospitalized

\- Soul Perception!

\- Soul Sometimes Acts Ancient

\- Super Awesome Amazing Level Up!

\- Symmetry Fits!

\- That Big Confession That Everyone Saw Coming

\- There Has To Be A Movie Night

\- Truly Hopeless Parents

\- Tsubaki is a Closet Perv

\- We Can't Let Anybody Know About Us For No Good Reason

\- Why Can't I Just Be A Regular Guy?

\- You're like a Brother/Sister To Me


End file.
